The Victorious Beauty
by Shandar1
Summary: There is a new shinigami at the 11th squad. How many lives can she change?  What secrets will she reveal? And will Zaraki Kenpachi finally find that someone special? I do not own Bleach or any of it's characters. Please R&R.
1. Homecomings

The Senkaimon gates opened slowly to allow the tall figure dressed in a black kimono and hakama pass through them into the light of day. She stilled and stared out at a site she had not seen in over 75 years. The white Sekkiseki stone walls on each side of her formed a maze of streets, alleys, and dead ends; making navigation difficult for any intruders. Almost hovering above the city was a cliff upon which the sacred Sokuoku grounds stood. She took a deep breath, allowing the reiatsu which made up the entirety of Soul Society fill her lungs. And the absence of honking cars, roaring plains and trains, the blaring of load chaotic music, and all the noise that made up the living world was in itself...deafening. The clear blue of the sky at odds with the black night she had just left.

She had spent 623 years as a shinigami and have spent only 13 of them here in the seireitei, but she has been a resident of Soul Society for over a thousand. She can describe the crowded towns of Japan, the desert wastelands of Australia, the fridged cold of the Arctic, and the large cities of North America; but it felt like she had just returned home.

The raven haired shinigami raised her hand to knock on the door of the 4th squad's offices, but a muffled "Come in." stopped her. Walking into the room with a smile, she stood at attention. Her Taichou's face looked up from a stack of papers she had been working on; a gentle smile spread across her serene face.

"Unohana Taichou, I report success from my assignment in the living world. Every thing ended as expected. Do you want me to send my report to you, or would you rather I just file it with Isane Fukutaicho?" Katsumi gazed upon her old friend, noting the fine lines of stress that appeared around her eyes and mouth. Of course only her closest friends would ever recognize them for what they were. She had heard of Aizen's betrayal, and that of the other two Taichous; not to mention the Winter War that ended just weeks ago.

"Ah Katsumi-san, it is wonderful to see you again. We have missed you greatly and could have used your skills these past years, as you no doubt have heard." , the Taichou of the 4th squad replied. "With all of the recent fighting the wards and dormitories have exceeded their abilities to handle all the incoming patients. But with you here I thought to assign you to a division, that should cut down on the number of cases. Given that you specialize in battle injuries I am going to assign you to the 11th division. They show great disdain to anyone who lacks their attitude toward battle, which should allow you of all the healers to fit in. You will be taking rooms there until you are needed on another excursion force."

Katsumi was a healer that specialized in battle injuries. She had just spent the last 75 years assigned to the North American Division of Soul Society where she helped to search out and capture, or eliminate if needed, a class 1 felon. What made her such an important part of the team was her ability with the blade and her advanced healing kido spells. As long as she had one hand free, she could heal injuries in the middle of battle itself.

"Of course Zaraki Kenpachi Taichou in not aware of this and will no doubt complain...loudly. But I feel confident that your fighting skills will quiet any arguments he may come up with. You may wish to speak to Isane Fukutaicho to learn more about the 11th squad. They can be somewhat quarrelsome. This will in no way be an easy assignment but I have faith in you. It should not be hard for you to gain a place within that group of barbarians..." a soft blush filled her cheeks, "I meant to say that group of...hm...shinigami." Unohana Sensei held out a letter, "This should explain everything. Welcome home."

"Thank you Taichou-sama." Taking the sealed letter Katsumi bowed and left the office to look for Isane-Fukutaicho.

...

Katsumi found the Fukutaicho in one of the treatment rooms on the other side of the barracks. Isane had not changed after all these years. Her slim frame contained the simmering strength of a fukutaicho, but one would never guess given her sometimes timid nature.

"Oi, Isane-san, if has been sometime; how have you and your sister been?" Katsumi asked.

"Katsumi-san! When did you arrive? How have you been doing? Have you heard what has been happening here? I just can not believe it. Maybe things will slow down now and everyone can rest for a while." The questions seemed to roll from the shinigami's tongue. Isane had a wide smile across her face.

"Today. I have been fine. Yes, I heard all about it. That was all the North American division could talk about. '"Could that happen here? What will we do if that madman wins? Should we even do anything about it?"' That seemed to be all I heard in the past year, as if I could tell them anything. I think I had only meet Aizen once. I almost returned, but I stayed with my team. After all, I couldn't do anything that you couldn't have done.", Katsumi responded. "We need to go out and get caught up on all the gossip. According to Sensei, I will me stationed here for a while so we have plenty of time."

Isane-san smiled and grabbed the other shinigami's arm; leading her down the hall to her own office. It had been to long time since she had last seen her friend, and she had so much to tell her. Everything from work to that certain shinigami she had been hiding feelings for.

"Isane-san, I am going to be stationed at the 11th squad's barracks. Sensei said I should ask you about them. What they are like, who is really in charge, and how to get on their good side? I do not need any hassles right now." Katsumi let out a deep sight. She had been looking forward to some rest and relaxation, but it did not sound as if she would get it.

"You are in for a vexing time. They like to fight. To them kido is for weaklings and the 4th squad are all wimps. But lets have a drink and I'll tell you how you may be able to get around them. You were always good at blackmail, bribery, and coercion." Isane laughed at the chagrined look on her friends face. "But don't worry, you can handle anything they might give you. There is only three things you have to remember...fighting...complements...and candy!"


	2. Introductions

Chapter 2

Katsumi gathered her pack and walked around the Seireitei till she reached the gates that had a large 11 prominently displayed. She knocked on the gate and waited for a response. And waited-and then waited some more. If this was how they treated guest it was no wonder that most doubted their social skills. Heaving a great sigh, she picked up her belongings and opened the heavy gates before her with ease. The courtyard was deserted, so she entered the nearest building. Were was everybody? Room after empty room echoed around her. "Hello! Is anyone home?" Katsumi yelled. But no one answered back. She went back outside to the courtyard and sat down under the eaves. Soon the heat of the day and the soothing breeze flowing over her skin lulled her to sleep.

...

"Hello lady-shi, who are you?" The high voice startled Katsumi awake. A small, pink-haired child in the uniform of a shinigami stood before her. Was this the Fukutoicho Isane-san spoke of? Then again, who else could it be. Looking around she could tell she had slept several hours.

Slightly embarrassed Katsumi stood and bowed to the small officer. " Please forgive me for entering your barracks without permission, but I had knocked and no one was stationed at the gate. My name is Katsumi of the 4th squad, and you must be Kusajishi Fukutaicho. It is my pleasure to meet you. Unohana Taichou gave me a letter to deliver to Zaraki Taichou, all explanations are inside. Has he returned yet?" She said in a polite, yet firm, tone of voice.

Yachiru stared up at the tall lady. She was pretty, and the spiritual pressure rolling off of her displayed that she was not weak. "Kenny-chan is out playing right now but you can come in till he gets home." A large smile appeared on her face and her eyes sparkled. "Do you have any candy?"

"Well...it just so happens I do.", thanking Isane-san for warning her,"I have just come back from the living world and I just happen to have some candy that is very popular in North America." ,which is something not easily found in the soul society. "Would you like to help me eat it?"

"Yeah! Lady-shi is going to give me candy!" The pink haired pixie danced around Katsumi while dragging her into the barracks. They sat down on the tatami mats in the largest room, while Yachiru tried to look into the tall lady's bag. There were wrapped bars with names like SNICKERS and MILKYWAY on them. Not to mention all the lollipops, cookies, and other sugary sweets found in the bag as well. Yachiru-chan asked Katsumi to tell her stories of the living world. The child fell asleep with chocolate smeared around her mouth thinking about something called TV; not to mention Wii, though she wasn't sure she would like "playing" fighting. She got to fight all the time with baldy and feather face for real.

"This is going to be an interesting assignment." Katsumi thought, "I wonder when her dad will get home."

Loud laughter floated into the room. The barbarians are returning. Gently placing the little child on the mat, Katsumi stood in preparation to meet THE Zaraki Taichou. No one with the power required to be Taichou entered the room, but instead a tall shinigami with no hair walked though the door and stopped when he saw her.

"Who the hell are you? And what have you done to Yachiru Fukutaicho?" Ikkaku looked across the room at the woman standing near the midget. The little monster did not appear to be hurt, in fact she looked like had she had passed out. The smears of chocolate and the abundance of empty wrappers around her suggested a night of indulgence. Who was he to complain? He passes out often too, due to his indulgence of saki.

Clearing her throat the woman spoke, "Greetings, my name is Katsumi and I belong to squad 4." Here Katsumi politely ignored the disgusted snort that Pin Head issued. "I have a message Unohana Taichou gave me to deliver to Zaraki Taichou. Has he arrived yet?" No wonder everyone thought of the 11th squad as nothing but dumb bullies.

"Well he isn't here." Ikkaku stated blandly. "He is not expected back for another week. I handle all issues regarding the 11th squad when my Taichou is not here. So either give me the letter or go back to the 4th squad." Ikkaku said with a sneer, he was sure the wimp would run away crying. But he had to admit she was one pretty woman, too bad she couldn't fight.

With a small polite smile, Katsumi reached inside her sleeve and removed the letter. Holding it out to the rude bore she said, "Seeing how I am to be stationed here I see no other option but to give you Unohana Taichou's orders. If they are not to you liking perchance you will wish to address her yourself."

"Address her...myself?" Ikkaku could start to feel sweat on his brow as he pictured the smiling face of the 4th squad's Taichou. "Let me read that." Swiping the letter from the woman he opened and began to read the letter. Damn! If Zaraki Sensei were here he would send this intruder away. But then again, remembering Unohana Taichou's face again in his mind, maybe not. "I guess there is no choice.", he admitted grudgingly. "You can have one of the visitor's rooms until Zaraki Sensei returns to straighten this out.", he spoke sharply.

"Thank you for your hospitality, sir. May I inquire how I should be addressing you? For surely you don't want me to choose a name for you, though I am fond of the name obtuse." She said with a small smile.

"Ehe? What's that?" the imbecilic man questioned. "My name is Madarame, Ikkaku Madarame. But I don't expect you to be around long enough to use it.", he scoffed.

"Since we are waiting on your Taichou, I don't suppose you will let me train with your squad tomorrow morning? I do hate to get out of practice. I never know when I will be called away to duty again." She looked up at him through soft eyes. Yes, Isane-san said his weakness was for fighting. "And of course my duties include healing any injuries." That man looked like he had been pulled through a wringer and left out to die.

"We don't need your help, but I suppose it wouldn't do any harm to let you look at some of the wounded." I do not need her help, thought Ikkaku sternly. Who cares if half of my bones feel like they are broken and I'm all but passing out due to the pain. I WILL NOT SEEK THAT WOMAN'S HELP!"If you want to get your butt whooped we begin training in the morning at first bell. I'll send someone in to take you to your room."

Ikkaku nearly groaned as he bent down and picked up the sleeping Yachiru and gentle walked back to the Taichou's rooms. Katsumi stared after him. For a man in pain he certainly handled that child with care so he not wake her up. Maybe he's not so pig-headed after all.

What entered the room could only be the 5th seat Yumichika Ayasegawa, no man should be that pretty. No wonder Isane-san said to flatter him. "Hello sir, my name is Katsumi and 3rd seat Madarame said he would have someone show me to my quarters." Make sure not to lay it on too thick, he may be a peacock but he is a smart peacock. "I do thank you for your kindness, sir."

The slim man looked out at her from behind the feathers attached artfully to his face. Yumichika smiled. No wonder Ikkaku is so upset. This woman was smart, and Ikkaku could never handle smart people. Just look at how I've played with him for decades; but then, Ikkaku doesn't mind my playing with him. Both of us enjoy that so much. "Yes, if you would come this way." Yumi turned and started down a hall toward the back of the house. " I know that Ikkaku holds the 4th squad in disdain, but if you can help him I would greatly appreciate it. It would be ugly if he died." Yumi kept his back to the healer as he said this, he wouldn't be beautiful if she saw the strain in his eyes.

"I will do all that I can for everyone in the 11th squad. But don't worry about Ikkaku, he may look and feel like hell, but I can tell you he wont die over this." Katsumi said this gently and could see the muscles relaxing in the man's shoulders.

"I don't worry dear." Yumi threw a look over his shoulder, "Worry only causes wrinles, and I'm too beautiful for that." He can see the woman smile. She knows how I feel. "Your rooms are back here. You are welcome to rearrange it to suite you if you like. I don't think Zaraki Sensei will be able to get rid of you any time soon. So consider this home. I have just two little rules. One-never do anything if it is not beautiful, and two-keep you hands off of Ikkaku!" This last rule was said with narrowing of his purple eyes.

"No need to worry about that, sir. If I read him correctly; and I usually do, he has no interest in me. You are much to beautiful for him to stray." Careful Katsumi, remember not too thick. " I haven't had an apartment of my own for quite some time, and I was hoping that you might recommend some shops I might find some decorations in. Everybody says you have such wonderful taste."

Yumi smiled and preened, "Yes my taste in everything is wonderful. I can think of a dozen shops that would suite what you want." He proceeded to name stores and talk about colors and designs.

"Actually, I have a number of items in storage that I picked up in the living world." Yumi's head turned around at that. "I would like to go through it and see just what I have, I'm sure I don't remember half of what is there. I've been collecting things for years. Maybe you would like to help me? Go out shopping for new clothes maybe?" Her voice trailed off.

A large smile appeared on Yumichika's face,"I LOVE shopping! And the fashions in the living world are just divine. I can't wait to see what you have stored away. Oh, here you are. I hope it is large enough for you; if not, just let me know and I'll find somewhere else you can stay." Yumi looked around at the drab room with derision. "Yes it will take some work but it has possibilities." He swung around and looked straight at Katsumi. "And you wont forget about helping Ikkaku, will you?"

"Of course not, but I must be careful not to let him know about it. I think it would hurt his feelings, don't you think?" She responded with a raised eyebrow.

Yumi smiled, "Isn't it just beautiful how we understand each other?"

"Yes, I believe it is. I think we will become good friends." Katsumi said with pleasure. "I think we understand each other very well. Goodnight Yumi-kun, I look forward to designing this room with you."

...

"Well? What do you think?" Ikkaku said as soon as Yumichika entered their rooms. "She has to go! I don't understand why a lowly healer has to be stationed here at the barracks anyway. It's just not right!" He was starting to get worked up about the whole situation.

"Calm down Ikkaku-chan. I'm sure it will all work out." Yumi said placating. "Anyway, if Unohana Taichou wants her here, this is probably were she will stay. Besides no more walking back and forth from the 4th squads barrack. Think of the extra work and effort it will save us. I don't think that woman will harm anything. And she promised to let me help her redesign her room. She even wants to go shopping for clothes!"

Ikkaku stared at his love with a blank face, one eyebrow twitch. "Redesign her rooms, clothes shopping, and what else has she promised you?"

"Well...she has several things in storage that she acquired in the living world! She is going to let me go through it with her!" Yumi's thoughts were soaring with ideas about colors and themes. He barely saw the amusement in his Ikkaku's eyes. "If you want her to go, why don't you ask Yachiru to do something about it. She is the Fukutaicho."

"The witch has charmed the little monster with candy." Ikkaku said with a frown. "I wonder what Katsumi will offer Zaraki Sensei?" And a look of speculation crosses his face as he tugs his Yumi-chan into his arms. "Let's get some rest. I need to beat her black and blue in training tomorrow."

As Ikkaku turns out the lights, Yumi smiled.


	3. First Meeting

6 DAYS LATER

A large dark figure sat on the roof of a nearby building, he looked out upon the 11th squad's training ground. He could see Ikkaku sparing with a woman he did not recognize. A corner of his mouth lifted into a semblance of a smile. It looked like his subordinate was enjoying himself, and his opponent was quite skillful. Every time Ikkaku would strike with Hozukimaru, she would counter with her katana. And when he lunged at her, over extending himself, she would shift and flow around the staff and strike from the side. This would cause him to jump back and reposition himself for another attack. They both appeared to be enjoying themselves.

"Kenny-chan! You're back! Did you bring me any candy?" A small shadow appeared and attached herself to Zaracki's shoulder. The giant reached into his shihakusho and drew out a bag, then tossed it to the pink haired child. "If you don't stop eating all that candy your teeth will rot. Then I'll have to put up with baldy, feather face, and toothless.", he chided.

The little girls eyes grew round, "Kenny-chan, you just told a joke! Does that mean it went well?"

"Che, four days wasted." Zaraki muttered with disgust. "If that ryoka boy could talk to his zanpakuto, then I should be able to as well. But tell me Yachiru, who is that woman Ikkaku is training with?" He could not help the interest he felt from showing in his voice.

Looking over at the 11th squad's grounds she smiled. "Do you mean Lady-shi? Her name is Katsumi and she's staying with us now." Her large Taichou grunted in response, so the sprout continued. "Unohana Taichou sent her to live with us and take care of the wounded."

Zaraki looked at her with surprise. "Unohana sent her? That woman fighting Ikkaku is no healer...she is a fighter. Ikkaku is having a difficult time against her...she is no wimp. When did this happen anyway?"

"Well," she raised her small finger to her mouth in concentration, "she gave me some candy and Baldy a letter. Oh, and she let feather face help decorate her rooms. Wait till you see all the things Lady-shi brought back with her from the living world." Counting on her fingers, "She brought candy, really pretty clothes, and a thing called a mp3 player; though I don't like some of her music." This last was said with a small frown. She quickly looked up with excitement, "Oh yeah, you should see all the weapons she owns. I had never ever seen anything like some of them before."

Standing up, Zaraki looked down at Katsumi with interest. "I guess I will just have to meet her. But I think I'll talk to Unohana first."

...

Unohana Retsu was looking through the medical books that 7th seat Yamada Hanataro brought back from the living world after his assignment there was completed. She had done what she could for Ukitake Jushiro, but it was not enough to cure his illness. Unohana hoped the living world would have information to find a cure for him. Jushiro was such a nice, strong, and respected man, and for him to suffer in this way is shame. But maybe it was this illness that had shaped him into the man he was... why he was so respected by everyone around him.

She looked up in consternation when she felt a familiar spirit pressure approach her office. Why is that man here? Could her day get even worse? Unohana plastered a smile on her face, to replace the look of irritation she felt. She stood as she felt Zaraki come closer and closer. A loud knock sounded on her office door. A knock? The animal actually knows how to knock! "Please come in.", she hastened to say after she got over the shock of Zaraki with manners. She watched the mountainous man opened the door, then he had to duck to get through the door frame. "How may I help you?"

"This woman you have assigned to my barracks...what is that all about?" The man certainly got to the point. No small talk from him.

"My letter explained everything." Seeing his confusion she sighed. "You did read the letter did you not?"

"Uh, Ikkaku took the letter. I just got back and decided to talk to you before meeting with her." Zaraki quickly explained himself. "Why would you assign a healer to the 11th squad. It looks like you need help here." He thought back on the overflowing wards he passed on the way to the office.

"Yes we do need help, but with Katsumi stationed in your barracks we hope to prevent new patients coming in. We have assigned healers to all the squads for just that reason. The General Commander Yamoto-Genryusai Shigekuni supports this new policy. I chose Katsumi to go to your squad because she was best suited to your approach to fighting. Yes, she is a healer and excels in the demon arts, but her skills at armed combat surpasses most shinigami. You should feel honored she accepted the position. Her duties as Adjudicator keeps her busy and in great demand."

"Adjudicator? What the hell is that?" Zaraki recognized the word but he could not remember from where or even when he heard it.

Unohana sighed, "When you became captain it was explained to you, remember? There are more than one soul society in the world." Zaraki gave a curt nod. Unohana continued, "We do not interact with each other. The Commander Generals only communicate in matters of great importance; such as Aizen , but the captains can not communicate with anyone outside of the division. Each soul society is autonomous. Each division has one shinigami that can travel between them, the Adjudicator. And Goti 13's Adjudicator is Katsumi. She could easily be named a captain, but she is too important in her current role."

"I had forgotten about that.", he said with embarrassment. "So she is a worth opponent. This could be interesting. But where has she been? I don't remember seeing her before."

"Katsumi has been with Soul Society for considerable time. She has spent the last 75 years with the North American Division, she had only returned 6 days ago. We wont know when she will be called away again for duty, but until that time she agreed to spent the time at the 11th squad." Unohana braced herself for another round of questions and complaints, but to her surprise Zaraki merely nodded, turned, and left without another sound.

...

"Ikkaku! Yumichika! My office. Now!" A loud voice rang out, and it could only belong to one person. Both officers jumped at the sound of their Taichou's voice and used shunpo to reach his rooms immediately.

After entering they both dropped to one knee and said in unison, "What do you want us to do, Sensei?" Zaraki Kenpachi lounged on his pillows and looked over at his two subordinates. Yachiru leaned into his bulk while coloring a picture of a tree under a green sun.

"My time was wasted the last 6 days," he growled, "and I hope you two wont make my day any worse. I understand we have someone staying with us for a time. I believe you have a letter for me Ikkaku."

"I put it on your desk, Sensei. It was right over there..." Looking confused Ikkaku's gaze wandered to the large desk in the corner, at the unfortunately empty desk top. He glanced around him, but his head stopped when he saw the little girl. "You!" ,pointing a finger at Yachiru. "Where did you get that paper?"

"This? Why over on Kenny-chan's desk. Should I color the tree yellow?" the pink midget asked innocently.

"No, no Yachiru-chan." Yumi sank down next to her. "A yellow tree is not beautiful! Why, it would look like it was sick. Pretty trees are green." He picked up the green color stick and started on the picture. "But the sun is green, wouldn't the tree look funny if it was the same color?" Yachiru fukutaichou looked up at feather face with trust. "Have you ever seen a green sun? The sun should always be yellow." Picking up the offending paper, he passed it over his shoulder to his Taichou. Drawing out another piece of paper, Yumi picked up a black color stick. "Here Yachiru-chan, let me help you."

Ikkaku snickered, Yumi always seemed able to handle the squirt. Surprisingly, she allowed Yumi to tell her what to do, the only other person she ever listened to is her Kenny-chan. If she saw Zaraki Taichou as her father...I wonder what that would make Yumi-chan.

Zaraki was looking at his companion's artistic efforts with interest. "What are you using to draw with? It is not paint, but it is not chalk either.", he mused.

The girl looked up from her efforts, "Lady-shi gave them to me. She said they were called crayons, and that they were made from wax. You should see your rooms Kenny-chan. Baldy, Feather Face, and Lady-shi helped me draw pretty pictures on your walls. There are Bya-kun, Gramps, Doggie, Mayurin, Jiggles, Pencil, Ichi, Shun-Shun, Re-Chan, Izurun, and of course Baldy, Feather Face, Lady-shi, and us. And I used what colors I wanted to." She threw a dark look at the man sitting next to her when she said this.

Zaraki turned the paper over and read the letter. It was everything Unohana Retsu said it would be. "Send for this Katsumi woman." Ikkaku passed this order to the guard standing outside of the room.

"Katsumi-san is very smart and has excellent sword skills, especially for a member of the 4th squad." Ikkaku made sure to emphasize these skills. After that first morning in training, Ikkaku has looked forward to sparing with the healer every day. "As 3rd seat of squad 11, I Madarame Ikkaku feel that the healer Katsumi is a good addition to the 11th Division." He carefully looked up to see how Zaraki Senei was taking his statement.

"Don't worry," Zaraki smirked, "I am not going to send your playmate away. I have already talked to Unohana Taichou about this and have decided she could stay."

"Yah! Lady-shi is staying. Now I'll get all sorts of candy and more color sticks too!" Yachiru cried out, dancing around her Ken-chan. "You will like her as well Kenny-chan."

Katsumi knocked on the door and entered the room to her first view of The Zaraki Kenpachi Taichou. He was not quite what she had been expecting of a man who kept a small pink haired child around him. But given all she had heard about him, she was not sure what to she had been assuming.

His spirit pressure alone was staggering. The wide expanse of his chest was crisscrossed with the white scars of old wounds, and some not so old injuries. But beyond his large size, the most distinctive thing about him was his hair. It was drawn up into a series of spikes, similar to the punk rockers she had seen in North America. At the top of each barb was a small golden bell. His face was chiseled into sharp angles, and the shape of his mouth could only be called feral. The patch over his right eye lent him a rough, sinister appearance.

Looking about the room, Katsumi saw Ikkaku standing tall next to his Sensei. Yachiru was lying on her stomach in front of Zaraki Taichou coloring a picture. And Yumi sat next to her advising her on what colors would be the most beautiful to use. All in all, a happy family; if slightly dis functional. Hozukimaru was growling about taking a nap, Ruriiro Kujaku was complaining about the colors his master was using, and Zaraki's zanpakuto hummed to herself off key. For a squad who prided themselves on being so straight forward, who would would guess there would be so many secrets.

Zaraki watched the tall, athletically built young woman enter the room. For the first time in his life he couldn't seem to talk. Her raven hair was swept up into a gentle style that was piled on the top of her head. The face beneath it was smooth of any blemishes, and hinted at a complexion of a faint peach glow of health. Katsumi's lips were a full, lush red; and her green eyes sparkled like the deepest of emeralds. And on her ears, the tinkle of lights off of a pair of delicate earrings.

Bowing formally she spoke, "Zaraki Taichou, my name is Katsumi. Unohana Taichou has assigned me to be your squad's healer." Looking up at the large man, the corners of her lips lifted slightly. "After all 3rd seat Madarame has told me of you, I must say I am looking forward to this appointment. I can rarely find a sparing partner in my own squad."

An answering grin appeared on Zaraki's face. "After what Unohana has told me, I am looking forward to it also."

The eyebrows of the other two men raised as they looked at each other. Ikkaku's in question, and Yumichika's in delight. Ikkaku softly snorted and looked away. Yuchiru looked back and forth between them in confusion. They were always talking to each other like that, she just wished they would use words so she would know what was going on.

"Unohana said you could fight, unlike the rest of the wimps. Tomorrow. You and I. Where do you want me to defeat you?" Zaraki sat back with a satisfied look on his face.

"I spar with the squad in the mornings, but am often called away to attend my healer duties. I have taken to practicing by myself out at the old training grounds in the afternoon. I'm less likely to be interrupted then." Katsumi smiled almost shyly.

"In the afternoon then. I'm sure the squad has already thrown you a welcoming party, they usually don't miss any chance they get to drink saki." He threw a cutting look in Ikkaku's direction, causing the man to flush.

"Yes, Zaraki Taichou, the second night I was here. Given Ikkaku's familiarity with drinking establishments I had been meaning to ask him to show me the way to the Dorinku Saki Bar. I am meeting some old friends there tonight."

Ikkaku flushed at this and told her he would be happy to show her, as he himself was meeting other officers there. Katsumi smiled, bowed, and left the room.

"Things are going to get amusing. I feared that I would get bored after the war was over, and everything will go back to being dull." Zaraki laughed out load. Yachiru jumped up and crawled into his lap, her Kenny-chan was happy.


	4. A Healer's Insight

ccb thank you for the review

Foscarrelli Thanks for the review and yes I am a first time author. I wanted to make my main character a strong yet cool and in control.

...

Chapter 4

The Dorinku Saki Inn was crowded with drinking shinigami with their loud laughter spilling out into the streets. Ikkaku lead Katsumi and Yumi up the steps and into the spacious main room; a group of officers seated around one of the tables turned and watched the threesome approach. Katsumi immediately recognized some of the faces. The tall, busty Rangiku was busily working her way through several bottles of saki. There was Isane and Nanao, whom she had known for over 100 years. Sitting between them was Kurotuchi Nemu, physically the same but spiritually different; she was the one person who had changed the most during the last 75 years. Her "father" was certainly an amazing scientist; yes he was insane, but for all that a true genius.

Ikkaku introduced everyone who was unknown to her. Kira Izuru was a timid, blond haired man; who was slowly, drunkenly, toppling over onto the floor. Abari Renji was a brash, red-head; whose eyes couldn't seem to focus on anything, unless it was Matsumoto's chest. Iba Tetsuzaemon was a solidly built man, who was already sound asleep; only no one noticed because his shades hid his closed eyes. And the rakish Hisagi Shuhei; Katsumi recognized the 69 tattoo on his cleft cheek as being a match to Muguruma Kensei's chest.

"Katsumi-sama, Kyoraku Taichou is waiting in a private room in the back with Ukitake Taichou. He told me to inform you to just go on back when you arrive." Nanao was trying to keep Kira from landing in her lap. She has had a lot of experience over the years handling various stages of drunks; but to be fair to Shun-sui, he rarely became this incapacitated. He could drink these youngsters under the table before exhibiting only the slightest effects of overindulgence.

"Nanao-chan, I was hoping we could get together later this week. I was not expecting to see you here tonight; you were never much of a drinker, unless something has changed?"

"I am only here tonight to carry Taichou home after he passes out from trying to out drink you." Nanao smiled evilly, "It is going to be fun tomorrow. I rarely have a chance of catching him with a true hangover, usually only after a party with you. I'm trying to think of the best way to wake him up."

Katsumi laughed at this. "Well it has been nice meeting all of you, but I need to head over to my friends now." As Katsumi walked turned and walked away from the table she took note of how the amount of drinking among the shinigami had worsened over the last several decades.

Most of the officers looked at one another with raised eyebrows. Ikkaku turned to Nanao, "You know Katsumi? And did you just say two of the oldest Taichou of the Gotei 13 are part of her drinking party? I thought she was just a healer?" He could not keep the surprised tone out of his voice. Kyoraku Taichou is a known drinker, but Ukitake Taichou as well? Just who was this woman?

Ise Nanao fukutaicho smiled with fondness, "I have known Katsumi ever since I joined the seireitei over 100 years ago. She is frequently away on missions for Commander General Yamamoto, she is apparently one of his favorites. She was in the same academy class as my Taichou and Ukitake-sama." Nanao leaned forward and lowered her voice, "Word of warning, she can be as sensitive as Unohana Retsu Taichou about comments about her age." Issane laughed and nodded at this. "Katsumi is calm and collective; it takes a lot before she looses her temper. I have always tried to pattern myself off of her. I envy you having her stationed with your squad. Both my Taichou and I would have liked spending more time with her." Nanao said this last with a sigh.

Matsumoto chose this time to stand up on the table and start singing a drinking song, Kuroda Bushi.

Drink, drink sake!  
>If you drink enough, this one spear of Japan will be yours.<br>If you drink enough, you're a true Kuroda warrior.  
>Is it the mountain wind? Or the wind of the pine tree?<br>Or the sound of the koto from the person I'm searching for?  
>Pulling up his horse, drawing near, he could hear<br>The high sound of a plectrum; she is yearning for her husband.

…...

"Kat-chan!" Shun-sui cried, rising to his feet and throwing his arms around his old friend. "It has been too long since last we met. Jushiro and I were wondering when you would show up. How did your last mission go?" He lead Katsumi to a seat between the two men.

"Shun-chan...Jush-chan, it has been entirely to long. But you know I can not discuss my missions, all I can say it went as well as can be desired. It is here in Soul Society that everything has been happening, even in the North American District I heard of Aizen, Gin, and Tosen's betrayal. Was no one suspicious of them? Looking back were there no signs of it?"

"There was nothing concrete to point to any of this. If anyone seemed odd it was Ichimaru Gin, but that was probably only to conceal Aizen's actions. The only thing that was unusual was the use of the Sokyoku on a 7th seat and the erratic way they kept moving the execution date. A number of captains noticed that it was odd but felt orders from the 64 were to be obeyed unquestionably. I still can not believe that all of us missed anything wrong with Aizen." Ukitake said with sadness, thinking of all the deaths it brought about.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Jush-chan. I met Aizen for a few minutes the last time I was here and suspected nothing. He must have suspected my abilities because he actively stayed away from me. I checked the records, Ichimaru and Tousen were on missions when I stayed here at the seireitei. I did not like Kyoka Suigetsu, he was snarky. I did not push as I should have."

"Himitsu Soyokaze does not need to push to get information. We had to help you keep her quiet, or at least muffled." Lifting an eyebrow Shun-sui asked, "What do you mean by snarky?"

"Snarky is more American slang than anything else. Its when you make an innocent comment but the meaning behind it is anything but innocent. An example would be saying "You look absolutely beautiful in that kimono," which is a complement; then adding, "I would never have thought you could have chosen something like that." implying bad taste. On the surface it is a complement but underneath an insult, but you cant take offense because of the complement. Ayasegawa is good at that." Both Taichous chuckled.

"We have just ended the Arrancar threat and Aizen is now imprisoned, what is next? I hope there will be a period of peace, a chance to repair all the damaged caused during the last year. We had been ordered to attend the briefing you will be giving the old man tomorrow night. Can you tell us anything about it?" Ukitake asked quietly.

"You know I can not do that, old friend. Besides this is not the best place to discuss these sorts of things. I don't like revealing people's secrets, and when I do it is only to a select few."

Katsumi's zanpakuto was named Himitsu Soyokaze, which means "secret breeze". All of the captains and a few of the fukutaichos knew of her position as Adjudicator. This extended to the Vizards, Shihoin, and Urahara due to their previous ranks. The one shinigami authorized to interact with the other divisions of Soul Society throughout the world. But only five of those individuals knew of her true status, that of spymaster.

Simply put Himitsu Soyokaze was a big gossip. Everywhere she went she talked to all the other zanpakutos; always, all the time, she would simply not shut up. She could carry on over a hundred conversations at the same time. And Katsumi heard all of them as if they were carried on a breeze that constantly flowed around her. The static hum of conversation filled her head at all times, even when asleep. The range of her zan was dictated by the number of conversations she was holding. In the seireitei the number of zans limited her range; out in the Rukongai District, where there were fewer zan, the greater her range. When Katsumi first gained Himitsu Soyokaze she was constantly distracted and was nearly killed several times. Shun-sui and Jushiro had both helped her to quiet the noise, to push the conversations to the back of her mind so she could function. It was only then that she could even get any kind of descent sleep. Her subconscious mind filters those conversations and glean the important and interesting information. The other zanpakutos loved to talk to Himitsu Soyokaze about anything and everything. The secrets that their masters held so dear were known only to their zans, and through them Katsumi.

Being privy to so many secrets was exceedingly hard. If everyone knew about what she could do Katsumi would probably have been exiled to the maggot's nest to spend the rest of her life. The high security detention unit kept by the 2nd squad was known to only a few outside of that squad. It was a vast underground labyrinth used to house shinigami which may poss a threat to Soul Society. And knowing all of it's secrets could definitely be viewed as a threat. Katsumi had to keep track of what information was know and what was not, this was so she would not inadvertently reveal something that she should not have. She made it a policy to never expose those secrets. Even the innocent ones; such as who had stolen Ikkaku's stash of candy. He suspected it was Yachiru. It was actually Zaraki, who used it to bribe the child. The nature of that bribe was another secret. She only told those secrets that could harm the Soul Society, and then only to a select few. Yamamoto, as General Commander; Shun-sui and Jushiro, as senior captains who already knew about her abilities; and Youroichi and then Soi-feng, being the two Taichous who were in charge of security. Katsumi was officially a member of the 4th squad under Unohana Taichou, but technically she was a secret member of the 2nd squad and reported secretly to it's taichou. The zans adored Katsumi's zanpakuto, only the strong would even consider lying to her. And only the strongest would actually be successful at it. But she needed to be careful about what she heard; if a zan truly believed what it was saying, than it would repeat it as truth.

"Enough of this maudlin speech, let us remember better things." Shun-sui interrupted. He then talked of their times in the Academy and all the trouble the three of them use to get into. Jushiro laughed at his antics and tried to forget all his present troubles. The friends drank throughout the night trading stores and remembering better times.

Katsumi smiled at Shun-sui fondly, "You are going to have to finish this last bottle of saki on your own, I have a busy day tomorrow and need to get to sleep. Nanao should still be out in the main room to see that you get back to your barracks."

Looking up in disappointment, Shun-sui complained, "What? Are you leaving already? I'm not nearly drunk enough yet."

"Well tomorrow night is the meeting and I still need to prepare some things. But more importantly in the afternoon I am expecting to be sparing with Zaraki."

Both Shun-sui and Jushiro sat up quickly, they turned a look of horror onto each other. Jushiro addressed Katsumi with concern, "I know you can hold your own with any of the fukutaishos but you can't match Zaraki in battle. He does not know the meaning of the word sparing...he only believes in battle to the death."

Katsumi chuckled, "I know that already. I do not need to beat him...only keep him busy long enough to keep his interest piqued. I will set down guidelines before any fighting."

Shun-sui interrupted, "He does not believe in guidelines either. You will be careful wont you? How do you intend to keep his interest?"

"Che, if he wants to fight me he will have to agree to rules. And I think I should be able to use my speed and different fighting styles to entertaining him. And do not forget I am no beginner when it comes to the demon arts, as well. I do have a few tricks that even the two of you do not know of. But I will take care; after all, I can not afford to spend time over an injury. I think it is you Shun-Chan that needs to be careful. I saw the look in Nanao's face when she talked to me earlier. Please tell me you have not been bothering her with your infantile jokes."

Shun-sui smiled and blushed slightly, "You know me too well. If you are going to fight Zaraki tomorrow, you need to get your rest. We will see you tomorrow night. Take care."


	5. Rules?

**SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG TO WRITE, I HOPE TO NEVER HAVE TO WRITE A FIGHTING SCENE AGAIN. I'LL STICK TO DIALOGUE. I HOPE ZARAKI IS NOT OOC TOO MUCH.  
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**THANK YOU TO AUTHOR BARBARA HAMBLY FOR NOUNS, VERBS, AND ADJECTIVE; AND MY HANDY THESAURUS**.

**HOPEFULLY NEXT CHAPTER WILL GO MUCH FASTER.**

**I DO NOT OWN BLEACH OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS, EXCEPT FOR KATSUMI(SHE'S MINE)**

**...**

Katsumi's POV

The 11th squad's old training grounds stood near the wall that separate them from the 10th squad. It was surrounded by a veil of trees, hiding it from passerbys. I sat on the grass beneath a large tree with my back toward the break in the foliage, my eyes closed in apparent meditation. Right...meditation, as if. I was too busy listening to all the conversations flowing around me to actually try to "find my deeper self". Conversations flowed not only from the 11th Squad, but from the 10th and 12th too. Haineko was just as self absorbed as the last time they spoke, but I must say I found Hyorinmaru a fascinating zanpakuto. His master, for all his youth, seems to be one of the most mature individuals in the seireitei, there are many individuals that can learn about responsibility from him. My attention was drawn by Ashisogi Jizo's comments on his master and the best way to handle him in certain situations, which will come in very handy latter on. Gleaning all the important information and filing it away in my mind for my report later on that evening.

A stray wisp of thought jumped to the forefront of my consciousness, I had to smile as I recognized the basic conversations of a nameless zan. The unmastered zanpakutos were used mainly by students who had not gained their own zan, and occasionally by shinigami that could not or would not use their own in battle. They were able to fulfill all the basic duties of a zanpakuto, but they lacked the intelligence, personalities, and ability to form a bond with shinigami. Only other zans have the ability to communicate with them, but the unnamed ones were beneath the notice of their exhaled kindred; but Himitsu Soyokaze, who talked to everyone. The katana at my side was one such weapon. It's conversation was stilted and faint, lacking in emotion in an almost computer like way; the one approaching me belonged to Zaraki Taichou. I drew my sword and placed it lightly across my lap, making sure to keep my hand next to it's hilt. I kept track of his progress as he headed into the practice grounds. His zan informed us it's master was upset, anticipation, and hostile. I was informed when he noticed the figure sitting on the ground, his feeling of disgust about something, his resolve to strike fast, unnoticed.

Kenpachi's POV

I had been looking to this afternoon all day. My morning sucked because of the captain's meeting I had to go to. If I had to look at that clown Kurotsuchi any longer, I would have split that little shit with my zan; straight through that ugly painted mug down to his navel...or groin. Yes, his Ahisogi Jizo is powerful, but he is a real whack job that should be locked up...or killed. If only to protect other people from the psychotic bastard. Sure some people feel that way about me, but hell...I got standards! I don't wanna play with weaklings; unlike that freak, I am have no interest in whimps.

As I walked through the trees I spotted that woman. Che, what is she doing sitting with her back to the entrance? And is she meditating? Does she have a death wish or something? If she feels that comfortable being a target maybe I should see just what she's got. I sneaked, _God! I can't believe I'm actually sneaking, _up to the edge of the trees and quietly drew my sword. I rushed forward and brought my zan down on her head...and blinked. Her blade rose to meet mine as automatic as jerking a burned finger from the flame. I had to chuckle. The woman felt my approach and was even able to defend herself from the initial blow. My blade hit her's then skittered down the angled blade in a shower of sparks till it sunk into the ground at her side. I guess she isn't going to be a push-over after all.

"Attacking from behind like that...not very sporting of you." She looked up over her shoulder at me with a little smile. "How unlike the 11th Squad, and here I thought you were all fight head on, one-on-one, till only one is left standing?" I watched as she rose to her feet.

"If you are going to sit with your back to an entrance when you know a powerful opponent is coming, then expect to be tested on how well you can sense reiatsu. What were you doing, anyway? You should be honing your fighting skills, not doing that meditation crap." Katsumi simple smiled. I noticed she did an awful lot of that, _I wonder if I can get her so mad she will stop smiling_.

"I'm all for a little sparing but I have a meeting with the commander-general later , so I am going to have to insist on a couple of rules." ,Katsumi stated.

" RULES..," What the fuck is she talking about? "There are no rules in fighting. Two opponents fight till one is dead, or cant move any more."

"As I said, I have a meeting with the old man later, so unless you want to explain to him why I am not there then you will simple have to wait till tomorrow for a fight. If you are unable to put an end to this when I call for a halt, it will be better to wait another day." She said all of this with a straight face.

Well I need to blow of a little steam from this morning, but I do not want to face Yamamoto. I still have the duo I can beat up...maybe I should ask about these rules of hers. "What kind of rules are you talking about?"

Katsumi's POV

_This might actually work! Amazing. I know my sword can't take direct hits from someone with Kenpachi's strength; which is why I slanted my blade earlier, but if he agrees to this I may keep him interested for a while._

"First is stopping when I say too. I cant miss this meeting. Second, no maiming and limiting damage. I can not go to the meeting with broken bones, internal bleeding, or missing limbs. Third...I get to use Kido. You are stronger than me so I get to use all the weapons in my arsenal."

"Kido is for weaklings, why do you want to fool with something like that? And I'm not sure I can hold back enough not to hurt your "precious" hide." He sneered this last comment.

I had to sigh, prejudice has no place on the battlefield. "Kido is a weapon, nothing more...nothing less. Refusing to use a weapon because one thinks it is foolish is in itself foolish. Just as depending completely on kido is foolish. But refusing to use it, or letting anyone else from using it, is simple wrong. There are a few members of your squad who would do well with the demon arts; but they wont because of how you feel about it, and they do not want to disappoint you. If they die because of it, you will be responsible for their deaths. Just think about it, OK? Can you agree to these rules? Or do you just want to wait till tomorrow when we wont need to think about Yamamoto."

Kenpachi's POV

_Che, kido is for weaklings...but not using something you already has is a bit...Damn! I hate thinking about stupid things like this. Should I just put this off till tomorrow? But I really want to...the old man sure knows how to ruin my fun. I do have the duo to take the edge off. I really wanted to find out about her fighting ability, but... _"I suppose it can wait for tomorrow if,,,give me 30 minutes to see what kind of fighter you are. Maybe a little taste of blood will help to satisfy ..Shit!"

Her blade lunged at me with the swiftness of a striking snake, if she were fighting someone below the lieutenant level it would have landed a hit. My blood roared in my ears, my body tingling with the thought of battle. This is what I exist for...battle and blood. I rained my sword down on her again and again; but with her speed and agility, she managed to dodge the strokes of my zanpakutos.

Katsumi's POV

The lunges kept getting uncomfortable close, causing a sense of urgency to do something to change the pace if this deadly game. That is what this is to him...a game. Yet in this battle, precision and speed needs to count for more than just strength; where I sure of defeat. I don't have a chance at winning, but I must prove to him I am not a whimp. As I blocked one of his hits, I unexpectedly slid his sword down the length of my blade; allowing me to push it to my side. Spinning on my heel I moved at an increased speed; I slashed, ducked, and parried with the quick grace that was almost like a dance. I quickly retreated before the great swinging strokes of my opponent's blade, then stepped forward under the arc of his zan to land a solid hit. Only to shift back out of range before he could take advantage of my precarious position. The cold electricity of battle-lust spread an equally cold smile across his face. "You're not half bad. Tomorrow may prove entertaining after all." , he chuckled. The maniacal expression on his face can only be described as hellish. I can see why some people called him a demon.

Kenpachi's POV

As I brought my sword down on her again, there was a blur of movement as she vanished from in front of me. Without conscious thought I shifted the direction of my swing to the right. I suddenly realized that she would not be able to block my blade. _Damn, and after I agreed to no maiming, too! _ I just hoped she would be able to stop it, but her blade was simple not in the correct position to deflect the metal that threaten to cleave her body in half. Expecting to register a hit with the razor edge, a faint blue-white glow of light stopped my sword mere inches before it hit the target's waist.

"If I did not know Bakudo 39, Enkosen, I would be dead right now." She said this with a serious look on her face. "Kido can be very useful when used correctly. Not just as an offense weapon, but as a defensive one too. If you ban the use of it completely, how with the members of your squad know how to defeat it in battle. Not everyone can win battles with strength alone, like you. And if it wasn't for kido, you would be explaining to the comander-gerneral right now as to why his Adjudicator was dead."

Katsumi turned and ran from me, so I gave chase. To my surprise she took several steps up the trunk of a nearby tree, then using it as a spring board to launch herself over my head. With her feet high in the air, our heads were level with each other. As she passed by me, she swung her katana with her left arm toward the back of my neck. Smiling, I turned slightly and blocked the blow. Fighting in that position is a very tough thing to do. I caught a flicker of red light in the corner of my eye, so quickly returned to my original direction. Just in time to see that her right hand, which had trailed behind her, was in front of my face.

Katsumi's POV

"Hado 31, Shakkaho"

The red glow of energy expanded till it enveloped Kenpachi's head. I continued arching through the air till I landed, skidding, along the grass in the training yard. As I looked up at Kenpachi, I was impressed; not very many people can take direct hits like that without injury. As the smoke cleared all the damage seemed to be superficial. His top of his haori and kosode were ripped and torn, his hair and eyebrows singed, but the most damage had been done to his hair style. Red fire cannon to the face and all it results in is a ruined hairdo. The elaborate spikes no longer existed, his hair fell about his face loosely. _Oho...he should wear his hair like that more often._ The bells so painstakingly applied could no longer be seen. I could feel a rise in his spiritual pressure and the waves of anger seemed to be rolling off of him. _I think we should end this NOW!_

"It seems we are past the 30 minute mark, so I am calling a halt to things." He just stood there staring at me, as if I had just spoken in Elvish or Klingon. I watched him carefully as he slowly shook his head, as if trying to clear it. If he doesn't stop now he is going to kill me. "You gave me your word, sir, your word that you will stop when I call a halt. It has been longer than the 30 minutes you originally asked for. You do not want to tell the commander-general that I could not go to his meeting because you killed me. I agreed to sparring with you tomorrow, but right now it has to stop." _He is not attacking me, that is a plus. Now if he can only calm himself down a bit more._ "I'm sure Ikkaku would like a fight; just don't injure him too much, because I am unsure when the meeting will be over. You just have to take him to the 4th Squad for any healing till I can get back."

Kenpachi's POV

_Damn! She is hot, and more importantly...can fight. Maybe things are going to get better. It's been kind of dull after the war, I think I have found a new toy._ I watched her as she approach me cautiously, I was so tempted to jump at her and yell boo! I detected a blue glow around her hands as she ran them over the cuts and abrasions on her face and arms. Her wounds visually healing right under her hands.

"Is it OK for me to heal the facial burns, or do you want to play the invincible man and pretend it doesn't sting?"

"What burns?" I reached up and felt the surface of my skin, it seemed to be tingling. "That's nothing, but if you feel you have to treat it, go right ahead." I could feel my smile stretching my scorched skin, but if she wants to lay her hands on me...sounds great. Her hands felt almost like cool water as they caressed my face.

She smiled up at me and said in a low voice, "You should fix your hair that way all the time. It looks really good on you, but I think you are going to have a hard time finding all your bells."

"My bells! I swear they take me forever to arrange." Looking from side to side, I could not spot a gleam of silver anywhere. I tried to remember how many I had left, maybe it was time for Yumichika to make another bell run for me.

Katsumi started chuckling at my antics. "If they mean that much to you, I might as well tell you now. One can be found by that elm tree about six feet away, two more are hidden in the tall grass by the far wall, four flew over the far wall into the 10th Squad's area, and the other four are in the azalea bush. I'm surprised you didn't notice where they fell."

"How the hell did you see where they went?" I demanded of her. Katsumi smiled, turned, and walked out of the grounds. I just had to smile myself. Fascinating times. Now...where was Ikkaku, I feel the need to pound someone into the ground.

...


	6. Communication

I do not own Bleach or any of it's characters, though Katsumi is mine.

Sui-Feng entered the meeting hall to find Kyouraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro Taichous already there before her. "I see you were both called to this meeting as well. Do you know what it is about?" The small woman was irritated being pulled away from her duties; but she had been ordered to attend, and orders are to obeyed without question. Personal feelings do not belong anywhere in the chain of command.

The two older Taichous looked at each other, when Kyouraku turned back to her he was smiling that ridiculous smile of his. "We are about to learn about all our faults," one of Sui-Feng's eye brows rose, "and I am sure this is going to be a learning experience for you. Have you met the Adjudicator yet? She has been here in the Soul Society for the last 6 days."

"No I have not. If this meeting is about her, shouldn't all of the Taichous be in attendance?" The conversation stopped as the thump of the General-Commander's staff could be heard hitting the floor with each step. He was followed by a tall, slender woman with raven black hair. Sui-Feng assumed that this was the shinigami Katsumi, the division's Adjudicator for over the last 600 years.

"Sui-Feng Taichou," he said in hes gravely voice, "I would like to introduce you to Katsumi, the Soul Society's Adjudicator." The woman bowed to her in the manner of an equal, not a subordinate. Sui-Feng was not irritated as she usually was when confronted by a shinigami acting above their station. She knew that an Adjudicator was equal in rank to a Taichou, the "unofficial" 14th Taichou with no squad to lead. "What you may not be aware of is that she holds another title, one that you have been in communication with since being named Commander of Onmitsukido...spy master."

Sui-Feng was barely able to conceal her shock. Since becoming the head of Squad 2, she had received secret messages about the mortal realm and the shinigami who moved through it. Plans of revolts, criminal activities, and other crucial information had been delivered to her by these means. Sui-Feng almost contacted this agent when Kuchiki Rukia disappeared in Karakura Town. To finally meet this person in the flesh was surprising.

"I must apologize for not detecting the activities of Aizen and the other traitors before they caused damage to the seireitei. By the time news of them cam from my sources in Hueco Mundo it was already to late to send any kind of warning to you."

The General-Commander raised his hand, "Cease blaming yourself. As Adjudicator and spy you are the conduit of the outside worlds to the Soul Society, what happened with Aizen was an internal matter. We are all at fault, we here should have noticed something. You have detected numerous threats to us throughout the years; if you had not, we would not have been strong enough to have face Aizen, the Bounts, and many others. The seireitei would have face destruction years ago, and the balance of the universe would have been disrupted, which would have ended...everything." Sui-Feng thought back to all the plots that most shinigami were not even aware existed; plots thwarted by the warnings of Katsumi. "As an outside observer you may report the stability of the seireitei when you coming home, and make suggestions that may help us in making decisions regarding the Gotei 13. You have been here for 6 days, are you ready to make your report now?"

Katsumi gathered her thoughts together, "I have put together a report that goes in depth about the the things I have observed. First and foremost, I must execute my duties as Adjudicator. On my return from the North American Division I was called to the Royal Palace, where I meet with one of the Spirit King's advisers." It was one of the requirements of an Adjudicator and Royal Guard that one has to be able to withstand high amounts of spirit pressure. That was one of the reason the Spirit King has his own dimension; his power is so great that few can live in his realm, let alone be able to function. "It is in regards to Kurotsuchi Nemu fukutaichou." A surprised look crossed all the Taichous' faces. It was beyond rare for the Spirit King to involve himself with the running of a seireitei. "Apparently Kurotsuchi Mayuri Taichou did such a well job in constructing her that our Master had decided to gift her with her own soul."

"A Soul?" Shunsui's eyes widened in amazement. "So she is no longer a construct? A real person?" He gave a lopsided grin. He had always liked the quiet fukutaichou, and he admired her looks as well. Nemu almost rivaled his Nanao-chan in looks. What he always wondered was how Kurotsuchi Taichou, who never showed any interest of a sexual nature, had such good taste in making a tall, ebony haired beauty whose legs went on forever. And that uniform her put her is...HOT!

"It was decades ago when it happened. As it was imparted to me, our Master feels that her treatment at the hands of her father is retarding her growth as an individual, and that she needs to be removed from him."

A look of unease crossed the faces of the other three shinigami. "Getting Nemu away from her father is going to be difficult. His treatment of her may be horrible by our, well everyone's, standards, but he loves and dotes on her in a sort of twisted way. How are we going to tell him that she can no longer be part of his squad?" Jushiro asked.

Katsumi looked up from the report she had been scanning. "As Adjudicator it will be my responsibility to pass on these orders to him."

"I don't think you are aware of how...mentally unstable Mayuri can be." Jushiro said cautiously.

"Himitsu Soyokaze spent the afternoon talking to Ashisogi Jizo, who gave her pointers on how to best deal with his master." Katsumi replied calmly.

Sui-Feng sat up abruptly, "Ashisogi Jizo told you? A zanpakuto behaved in a way counter to what his wielder's interest?" She thought back to Muramasa and the Zanpakuto Rebellion.

"You were made aware of only part of Katsumi's abilities when you became Tachou." Yamamoto interjected. "Her zanpakuto, Himitsu Soyokaze, can actually converse with all other zanpakutos. They tell her zan everything, even things that should be kept secret. Though there is no reason to worry, Katsumi is very good at keeping secrets; whether they be big or small. Her zanpakuto has a sphere or influence in which Himitsu Soyokaze talks with all other zanpakutos; the more zans the smaller the field, and the less zans the greater the sphere. Our zanpakutos here are old friends, so I would guess that Suzumebachi and her have been getting to know each other before we even entered the room." Sui-Feng thought of her inner most thoughts and secrets desires this stranger in front of her may already know and flushed. "Do not be alarmed, Katsumi will not let any of your secrets leave her lips. It is this ability that makes her such a good spy, and such a a good observer. She is aware of things that we are not privy to."

Sui-Feng did not like the ideal of others knowing personal information about her; she did not like the sense of vulnerability this gave her. Yet she had to admit this raised the level of accuracy in all her reports greatly.

"Back to my report, I would like to point out a major problem among the upper ranks." Katsumi paused and looked around the room. "It is this problem that allowed the issue of Aizen get so far out of hand. Basicly it all boils down to one thing...a breakdown in communications."

"What kind of breakdown are you referring to?" Ukitake Jushiro asked curiously.

"The fukutaichous main duties revolve around the running of the squad; overseeing things, paperwork, giving orders, and such things needed to keep the squad running smoothly. They also serve another purpose; to listen to their Taichous, ask for the reasoning behind their orders, suggesting alternate actions, and to tell them when they are wrong. Yes...following orders are important in any military organization, but for the higher ranking members to follow orders blindly is a huge mistake. Each Taichou serves the same duties for the Commander-General, and it is then his duty to act as such for the Central 46. The different divisions in the world are autonomous, they do not even like to communicate with each other, but still the Spirit King appointed the title of Adjudicator. Have you ever wondered why? It is because the lines of communication must always be kept open, even if it is rarely used. In all my years of service I have been asked by other Commander-General's how other divisions have handled problems, and I have suggested alternate ways of handling them. Without communication of some sort, major problems may be handled wrong due to ignorance."

When the others opened their mouths to argue some point, Katsumi simple raised her hands to stop them. "There was little way you could have known about Aizen, Tosen, and Ichimaru's treachery, but you may have lessened the impact some what. Kyoka Suigetsu's ability of hypnosis was such that few could escape it, been able to tell what was real or fake. And Aizen's genius was quiet high. Even Himitsu Soyokaze was fooled during the minutes they were in contact with each other; Aizen made sure to limit any kind of interaction between us, and the other two were always on away missions when I was here. But decisions were made and actions not taken that may have lessened the damage if they were discovered sooner."

Turning to Yamamoto, Katsumi place her arms around his shoulders and gave him a hug. "You know how much I love you Senpai," he flushed in pleasure, "which is why I hate to ask...What the hell were you thinking?" She pulled away from him and looked up into his eyes. The two older Taichous smothered a smile, and the youngster's mouth dropped open in shock. "From the very beginning of Kuchiki Rukia's sentence to the way it was to be carried out felt wrong to you, but what did you do about it? Yes you wrote to the Central 46 to verify the order, but you should have met with them and asked them to explain their reasons behind it. Instead you followed the order's blindly, which a Commander-General should not do. You are the leader of the Gotei 13, not a lower seated officer. If you had gone to them before Aizen's "death", you may very well have found out they had all been killed. If Aizen was there with his zanpakuto you may have been fooled, but at that time he was not there all the time. You may have been able to stop it right there. Except for the three traitors, and Sui-Feng, every single Taichou felt something was wrong and felt uneasy about it. If you had gone and met the 46, when those officers approached you about it, you might had been able to reassure them about with more than "it's an order, follow it". They may not have been happy about it, but they felt they could approach you. As it stands, most of them did not even ask about you about it. They felt you would not even listen to anything they may have said."

Katsumi paused, and the continued. "The three traitors wanted it to happen, and their fukutaichous were as deceived as the rest of the seireitei. Komamura followed the order without questioning it because he feels he owes you blind loyalty. Kurotsuchi and Zaraki could have cared less about the whole thing, but even they felt the orders were strange. Unohana and Hitsugaya both went so far as to go to the 46 themselves, though to late, but neither felt they could approach you. Kuchiki was fighting his own personal demons, as you are all aware of. If he felt comfortable approaching his superior to talk about it, that might have made things easier for him. Jushiro wrote a letter to the Central 46, but he and his good friend Shunsui simply disobeyed orders. They went so far as to destroy the Sokuoku." She looked at the two offending officers, they in turn looked down at their feet. Katsumi turned her gaze on the leader of the 2nd Squad. "What concerns me the most is you, Sui-Feng. You were the only Taichou that did not even register that anything was wrong. The use of the Sokuoku on a lower seated officer is unheard of, and the erratic way the execution kept being moved up didn't seem odd to you in the lest. Your "all orders are right and should be obeyed without question, and death to anyone who questions or might stand in the way of them" is the wrong attitude for higher ranking officers. And that same attitude is being passed on to your subordinates, your fukutaichou failed in that regard. Not just because he fears you "I'll kill you attitude", but he didn't see anything wrong with the orders himself. He is good at his job, or else you would not keep him around, but the trust that exist between Taichou and fukutaichou simply does not exist between you two."

Sui-Feng was unsure how she should have addressed this criticism. Her sense of honor was bound up with her belief of following orders, which is one of the reasons Yoruichi had hurt her so much. It had only enforced her attitudes and beliefs, she wished never to hurt others by betraying them in a like manner. Yet she had to agree somewhat with Katsumi's assessment, she was just unsure if she could change over a hundred years worth of thinking and emotions.


	7. Report Card

I do not own Bleach or any of it's characters.

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><p>This is a continuation of the meeting n the previous chapter, it seemed to long to be only one, so I split it in two parts.<p>

Katsumi cleared her throat and then continued on with her report. "The next biggest issue are the three vacant Taichou seats. I would like to know why Hisagi Shuhei fukutaichou has not been named Taichou of Squad 9 yet." This had surprised Katsumi, it had seemed such an obvious thing that should have been done months ago.

"He does not have banki." Sui-Feng said resolutely.

"Banki is not a requirement to become a Taichou, it merely helps having one to pass the exam. It is more a way to measure one's power level, but it in no way makes a shinigami a good officer. I would like to name Aizen, Ichimaru, Tosen, and Kurotsuchi as the most recent examples, and there were many others throughout the years as well. Most don't even use it when they have it; take yourself, you have only used it once during a battle situation. Hisagi has proven himself to be an outstanding officer over the last several months. The 9th Squad has only remained strong due to his leadership, and they have shown more trust in him than they ever did in Tosen. That is one thing I have to applaud him for, he certainly knew how to train an exemplary officer. Though he had a hand in defeating Tosen, Kamamura was involved in the fight as well. But all he needs are the recommendations of 6 Taichous and the approval of 3 others. If can accomplish the recommendations, do you think there will be a problem with getting the approval of the others?"

They all turned and looked at Sui-Feng, knowing that she would be one of the people that would argue about this matter. "If you can get can get everyone else to agree...I will be willing to approve of Hisagi being named Taichou. He could not do any worse than that barbarian Zaraki or the clown Kurotsuchi, he has shown himself to be an honorable individual."

"Then I will see what I can do. I'll also look into his lack of banki, he should have attained it by now. Maybe Kazeshini will know what is holding it up. The other 2 Taichou slots need to be found outside there Squads. Neither group would trust someone from within it's own unit for such a position. I have some suggestions I my report, from both within the seireitei and from units assigned to away missions. If necessary I can check with the Spirit King's adviser about possibly transferring a shinigami in from another division. I can think of a few potential candidates."

"I would feel better staying within the division. We can not afford divided loyalties at this time." Yamamoto interjected with a frown.

"It is only a possibility. I don't know if that kind of request will even be listened to. As I said earlier I put a list of candidates in my report...and I may be able to add to it if you will give me a few days."

"Abari Renji has attained banki, do you have him on your list?" Shunsui asked.

"Yes, but he is a bit immature to be a good taichou yet, but with the right fukutaichou he could possibly do well. Someone like Kuchiki Rukia, but she tends to let him slide a bit; too bad Ise Nanao doesn't have a twin, that would be a good combination. There is another shinigami with banki who would be a better fit, again with the right 2nd seat. But I need to check a few things out before I can suggest him or her." Katsumi looked up in inspiration. "The Visored! Have the sentence on them been canceled by the 46 yet? It is now obvious they were innocent of trying to gain hollowfication. If the Soul Society is willing to accept Kurosaki Ichigo, then they have to accept their own officers. Of course none of them will probably want nothing to do with us, but it is an option."

"I have not heard how they are going to be handled yet, but I will bring the matter to the attention of the Council." Yamamoto responded reluctantly.

"The next issue is the status of the squads. The betrayal of three top ranking shinigami has shaken up everyone, some have become stronger while others have weakened. On the whole we have handled the situation well, most of the squads are in good shape. Except for the matter of communication, squad 1 is just as elite as it always has been. I would expect nothing less from them. Squads 4, 6, and 7 are the same; solid, well run units. Minus the "follow orders or else" attitude, squad 2 is doing it's job in faultlessly. Squad 8 has a Taichou and squad 10 a fukutaichou that need to drink less and work more," Shunsui ducked his head in embarrassment, "but their respective fukutaichou and Taichou make up for their faults. It doesn't hurt either squad's standing, but it may help things run smoother. Squad 13 needs a fukutaichou, it is past time. I believe you have someone in mind in your own squad to promote to that position." Jushiro's eyes widened hopefully. "Give me a few days and I will see what I can do with him. Fukutaichou is an individual's choice, what he wants does not really matter. But give me some time and I will see what I can do." Ukitake gave Katsumi a grateful smile.

"Squad 11 is only interested in fighting, which it does very well, but if it looses Ayusegawa Yumichika it may have some administrative problems. I'll see what I can do about that, actually I may have already started. Squad 12 is wrapped up in the Research and Development Institute, but with Kurotsuchi Nemu leaving there will be difficulties. She is the one who has been running the squad, with her father so wrapped up in experiments. When I take to him about her, he might be able to answer any problems that may happen." Katsumi reflected on how she was going to approach the scientist to get him to do what she wants.

Katsumi cleared her throat and resumed speaking, "Out of the 13 squads I would judge that the strongest squad is actually Squad 9, which is surprising given Tosen's behavior. That is one thing in his favor, he certainly knew how to train an excellent fukutaichou, I am impressed with Hisagi Shuhei. Even after their Taichou's betrayal the squads loyalty is not only intact, but stronger than ever. It begs to wonder if their loyalty was always with Hisagi, and not Tosen from the very beginning. I think this may be a good place to place Kurotsuchi Nemu. Hisagi as not only been acting Taichou and fukutaichou, he is the editor of the Seireitei Communication, and an active member of the Shinigami Men's Association. And I am not blind to the fact that certain Taichous have been placing some of their responsibilities onto him. Hisagi Shuhei seems unable to say no. Nemu has been running squad 12 mostly by herself for decades, not to mention Vice President of Research and Development, now that she will no longer be associated with them...as fukutaichou of squad 9 she may be able to relieve Hisagi of a lot of work. He is also a good model for her to follow, rather than her father. Of course Taichous name their own 2nd seats, but I think I will put a few ideas in his head. Or rather Himitsu Soyokaze will suggest Kazeshini put a few ideals in his wielder's head."

Shunsui and Jushiro silently laughed at that comment. Sui-Feng was unsure if she should laugh or not. The ideal that not only can this woman know all of her secrets, but she could implant foreign ideals in her own head. She understood how this made her such a good spy, but she could be a horrible foe. Maybe worse than Aizen in some ways; she just doesn't deceive what you perceive, but she can directly infect your mind's secrets, desires, and thoughts. It was no wonder her abilities were so secret, if the Central 46 knew of them Katsumi would probably be incarcerated in the Maggot's Nest.

Katsumi turned and looked directly at Sui-Feng Taichou, "While other zanpakutos love talking to Himitsu Soyokaze and tell her things about their masters, zans on a whole will not do anything that would hurt them. And I know that you do not always pay attention to everything Suzumebachi says to you." The younger woman flushed at that comment and wished her zan would simply shut up. "She likes you and worries over some of the things that you do, kind of like a parent or sibling, but she would never do anything to harm you; at least as long as she is in her right mind. The seireitei handled the Zanpakuto Rebellion very well by the way. Back to the status overview, Squad 5 is simple treading water. This is due solely because Hitsugaya Taishou undertook overseeing the running of unit after Aizen's departure. This leads me to wonder why another Taichou was not found to do the same to Squad 3. The most major issue is Hinumori Mono. There is only one reason she made it to the level of fukutaichou before she was mentally mature enough to handle such a post, and after the damage Aizen has done to her mind she may never be able to again. My recommendation is that she be transferred to the Kido Corps, her mastery of the Demonic Arts is impressive. Hinumori will probably thrive in that sort of environment. I can see her succeeding to the upper ranks rather quickly, but it will take some time before she can handle soldiers of the Gotei 13. I would suggest a Taichou from outside the squad is needed, but if an acting fukutaichou brought up from inside it would be a good ideal until the new officer can establish the trust needed with his or her new squad. Squad 5 does not have much trust in the higher ranks, but Hitsugaya has insured it isn't completely gone."

Katsumi sighed heavily, "Squad 3. What can I say about it? It is not treading water, it is not even drowning, it is already dead. Kira Izuru makes a good 3rd or 4th seat, but he is too timid for a fukutaichou. No one in the squad trusts him, even shinigami outside the squad have problems with respecting him. He was blind to Ichimaru, but he was the first to notice anything wrong with Amagai Shusuke and his subordinate. The squad members are so disheartened that they cant seem to trust anyone. The new Taichou is going to have to be a real...strict person; someone that will tear then down completely and break them, then work them hard into a completely new squad. I may have someone in mind that would be perfect for that position, but it may take some work. Give me a week to see what I can do. He is happy where he is at right now. With a certain fukutaichou to soften him up...he just may do."

"But overall you feel that the Gotei 13 is still a solid organization?" Yamamoto grunded in that inegmatic way of his.

"Yes, even after 3 top office's defection the seireitei is surprisingly in good shape. There are only two squads that need to be concerned about, and only 1 of them is falling apart. After all that has happened it is amazing that more damage has not occurred. We will talk about each observation in further detail, and will go over my recommendations more closely. I think I may be able to clear up some of the issues for you myself."

Sui-Feng was pleased about how well the seireitei was doing after so many hurdels, and how her squad was upholding their duties as they should. But it upset her that it's only detraction was herself. She inwardly called Katsumi a few names; then the tall shinigami looked up at her. Sui-Feng cursed her zan's inablility to keep her mouth shut. Maybe she should let up more on the higher seatted officers, but everyone else must follow orders or else! She noticed Katsumi's shoulders shake a little in laughter and her eyes were smiling. The young Taichou realized then how hard such an ability was; knowing what everyone thought of you, but not being able to respond positively or negatively. It may help collect information, but she was thankful she was not blessed, or cursed, with that ability.

The four shinigami sat up late in the night talking about the details in the report, and the reasoning behind the recommendations. They listened to the concerns and possible corrections, and then talked about their own thoughts behind any actions. Yamamoto thought that maybe this was how the Taichou's Meetings should always be handled, as long as everyone realized that as Commander-General will always have the final say.


	8. Scientific Curiosity and Soul Searching

**I do not own BLEACH, though I wish I did.**

Early the next morning Katsumi visited the 12th Squad's grounds. She noticed that the shinigami around her tried not to notice the presence of an outsider. As she entered the hall of the Research and Development Department, she was finally confronted bu a male shinigami sporting horns on his head and wearing a lab jacket.

"What brings you here? Usually shinigami go out of their way to avoid the labs.", he asked curiously.

"Hello, I need to speak to Kurotsuchi Taichou." She wondered how he had come by his appearance. When Urahara started this organization, all the scientist were of a normal human aspect. Just what was Mayuri trying to accomplice with experiments of this nature.

"Ahhh...this may not be the best time to be speaking with Taichou. I believe he is busy in his lab working on the latest experiments." He said this hesitantly.

"Let me worry about that." Katsumi assured him with a placid smile. "Just show me to his location and I will deal with any objections he may have." She leaned toward him and in a confidential voice whispered, "I promise not to mention your part in my bothering him."

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><p>Akon merely shook his head. "It is none of my business what he does to you, just don't go blaming me when he wont let you out of the building with out any drastic changes to anatomy." He turned and lead her deeper in to the labyrinth passageways.<p>

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Kurotsuchi Mayuri sat in front of his computers analyzing the results of the most recent attempt at DNA splicing. The useless work of several days.

"I am sorry to interrupt you sir, but I need to have a word with you." The female voice came from the region of the doorway.

"GO AWAY! I can not be bothered with any foolish interruptions right now." He said irritably, never taking his eyes away from the glowing screen of numbers and symbols.

"I must insist that we meet now." Returned the voice, it was spoken softly but held a note of steely resolve and command. He swung his chair around to face this challenge to his authority. The tall woman who spoke was calm and not intimidated in the least, which was usually not the case. She spoke again, "My name is Katsumi and we have met before, though you seem to have forgotten. My title is Adjudicator. I am caring a message to you from our Master the Spirit King. As such I demand your full attention."

Mayuri vaguely remembered her from decades ago, but any message from the Spirit King gains his immediate concentration. He started to think of all the top secret experiments he was working on that such a meaningful dignitary may possible take exception of. It was wise of him to show her a modicum of respect. Her title of Adjudicator easily equaled a taichou; there was 13 of them, yet only 1 of her. "Just how may I be of service to you?", he asked condescendingly.

"He wishes your daughter Nemu to be removed from your care and be reassigned to another squad."

Katsumi watched the emotions that flickered across the man's face, and there was even a touch of parental concern.

"Nemu? That idiot girl! Why should he care about her? She is my daughter, this is her home. I object to her removal from here." Mayuri declared indignantly.

"What you want does not matter, and do not think you will be able to intimidate me into not fulfilling my orders." Katsumi responded in an almost threateningly manner, something he had little experience with. "But as for the why, I suppose I can tell you that. Apparently you did such an amazing job in constructing her that the Spirit King gave her a soul."

"Well of course I did a good job! I made her perfect. Physically she can handle more damage than any other shinigami can take, but her looks are based on what is considered the perfect "form"." He paused in the middle of his rant, "The Spirit King recognizes my brilliance? And he gave her a soul?" This was certainly not what he had been expecting, but it satisfying that such an august personage recognized his high intellect.

"I know she holds a lot of responsibilities as fukutaichou and vice-president, and that her leaving will be hard for you. I assume that you have been downloading her memories and knowledge periodically."

"Of course I have! You never know when some accident may occur, and not just to her but to myself as well. We both have scheduled data dumps into the main computers." How silly not to make preparations for any kind of emergency, that was one of the first things he insisted on.

"It should not take you too long to build another daughter then, maybe a son this time? Then you can simply download the needed knowledge to the new sibling. Maybe with some upgrades?" Katsumi suggested off offhandedly. "As an experiment you have been testing her in a controlled environment, just think of this as field testing. How well can she function in a social situation on her own. I would think you would look forward to this opportunity...unless you do not think she can handle it?"

"Not handle it? Not handle it? I will have you know that anything that I created will not only handle it, but will surpass any natural shinigami by far."

"The Spirit King gave her this soul sometime in the last 5-6 decades. I wonder if you can go back through the data and be able to tell exactly when it happened." She said offhandedly.

"Now why would I want to waste my time doing that?" Mayuri snarled.

"If you can find out when it happened, maybe there is some way to measure it. If it can by unmeasured and quantified, there may be some way reproducing it." Katsumi barely kept the smile off her face.

"Reproduce it? Well...if I can measure it, I can make it. But why should I even bother is beyond me." Mayuri acted irritated, but on the inside his mind was working fast. He was struck by the ideal that he may be able to create a human soul, that would put him on the same level of the Spirit King … intellectually.

Katsumi smiled serenely, "Then you are in agreement with this order. When your new daughter is functioning, Nemu will be moved to another squad." She said this as if it was already desired by her father. "I do ask that you remove the poisons from her systems. She will be going to Squad 4, as well as here, to see to her health, and I do not think you want Unohana to sample any of it." Mayuri shuddered at the thought of that woman getting her hands on proprietary information. "Most of the shinigami here are not very perceptive, if you would give her a different name and appearance it would help them. There are not very many red-heads in the seireitei, it would make her unique." He had to agree with her that most of these idiotic shinigami had a hard time finding their zanpakutos, let alone tell the difference between two exquisitely crafted individuals.

"Well yes, I can easily make another daughter. An upgraded one at that, maybe see about installing new components that will give her greater offensive capabilities." He hesitated, "What about Nemu? Where will she go?" Though that girl was often a pain, he felt a kernel of concern about her. "She is a fukutaichou, any demotion in rank will look bad for her..." as an afterthought "and I suppose about me, too."

"There was talk about the 13th Squad, but they is someone already slotted into that seat. Then there are the 3 empty taichou seats. When they get filled she may be chosen for one of them." Katsumi replied thoughtfully. "Hisagi Shuhei fukutaichou has been doing a wonderful job as acting Taichou for these past few months; if he is named Taichou, he would need someone to take the 2nd seat."

Kurotsuchi's eyebrows came together. "He seems less inept than most of them. I don't know if he could past the Taichous exam."

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><p>"There is no need for the exam, he has already proven himself a competent officer. All he would need is the recommendation of 6 Taichous, and the approval of 3 others. Most of the other Taichous are suitably impressed with him. I have to go see to some other errands, I am sorry for interrupting you at your work." Katsumi slipped out of the lab, purposely leaving the conversation open. She was sure Mayuri knew what she was doing, but if her reasoning was sound and logical, Ashisogu Jizo assured her he would give it consideration.<p>

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Hisagi Shuhei sat on the roof of the 9th Squads barracks, he was using this break from paperwork to oversee the training of his subordinates. He got so little free time he tried to use it to cut down on his work load. He noticed whenever anyone approached him, which is why he was surprised when a woman joined him.

"Who are yo..oh, it's Katsumi, right? From the other night?" Shuhei did not remember much from drinking too much, but he quickly recalled the information he gathered through the rumor mill. She was a contemporary of Kyoraku and Ukitake Taichous, and anyone that old had to be strong. Yet she did not exude spiritual pressure, as they did. Being this close to her, he should feel something, even if she was trying to hide it. Maybe she was like Kusajishi fukutaichou in that she seems to be naturally unreadable.

"I'm sorry I was unable to stay around and talk with all of you then, but I promise that I will try to make it to the next party." She sat down next to the handsome shinigami. "Right now I have a favor to ask you."

"We don't know each other, we have barely even talked, and you are already asking me for favors?" Shuhei appreciated her looks as well as the next man, but he was getting tired of people asking him to do things that they should be doing their selves. He has enough problems trying to put Tosen behind him that he doesn't need to borrow any more.

"Well...it's actually not for me. It is for Kurotsuchi fukutaichou. Not many are aware of the fact that she is going to be leaving the 12th Squad shortly."

"Leaving Squad 12? What happened? I though her father had ever forbidden her to go." He asked in surprise.

"If you can keep this confidential?" Hisagi nodded. "She has attained a soul...don't ask my how, it's confidential...and it was necessary to separate her from her father. That is pretty easy, but trying to find a place for her until a position can be formalize is the issue." Katsumi leaned closer to him and looked up at him hopefully. "I was wondering if you would go to Yamamoto and say she could stay here."

"Are you sure that it would be OK? I would think they would want her to stay with a Taichou.", he asked.

"Well I suppose she could go with Kyoraku...but he is such a womanizer, I don't know if I would feel comfortable leaving her with him." He grunted in agreement. "I can always suggest Ukitake, but his squad is undergoing some internal reshuffling. Maybe Nemu will feel comfortable with Zaraki Taichou."

"Zaraki! Nobody who is learning to be a person should be left with someone like him. And I agree with you about Kyoraku. Hitsugaya Toshiro would be good, but he is already putting up with Rangiku."

"She is a very hard worker, I am sure she can take care of a lot of the little paperwork and duties that have shoved off onto you. The busier she is..the less time she has to worry about what is happening to her. I've been around for a number of years, I wont tell just how many, and I must tell you I find that you are a model shinigami. I don't think there is anyone else better that Nemu can emulate, we do not want her becoming another Zaraki, Ichimaru, Aizen, or her father to name a few." A faint blush appeared across his cheeks. "For all of his faults, Tosen did know how to train good officers."

A haunted look clouded Hisagi's eyes. "Tosen was a traitor, who deserved what he got."

"I do net blame you for feeling that way. He started with good intentions, mistakenly following what he thought was the path of less blood, but then he allowed Aizen to corrupt him. I am surprised he did so well training you, which is why I feel Nemu should be placed in your squad."

"I'm nothing special." Shuhei looked down at his zanpakuto with a frown on his face. "Kazeshini is such an ugly weapon."

"How can you say that? I think he is very beautiful." She reached around him to run her fingers along the length of the blade, Shuhei shivered as if she had run those fingers down his body. "Zanpakuto are weapons, they are made to kill as well as to protect. Every sword, dagger, or knife exhibits the same thing...the desire to kill. Even those that are dedicated to healing, such as Unohana and most of the 4th Squad, are made to kill. You need to accept that reaping life is merely it's function, that you are the one who controls wither it kills or not." Katsumi looked to him, "Unless it is not the zan that bothers you, but your ability to use it. Most of the demon arts where developed to kill, yet you use it with such skill. It is that same skill that controls the zanpakuto. Is this what has been holding up your achieving banki?"

He shot her a quick glance. "I'm not powerful enough yet to have banki."

"That is non-sense. You should have reached that level by now, maybe I can not give Tosen as much credit as I have. A fighter needs to recognize the danger of his zanpakuto represents and respect the power it gives you, but one should never fear it. It is not the sword that is good or evil, it is the wielder that is responsible for anything it does. If you do not want a zan that signifies death..I suggest you give up being a shinigami."

"I know that in my mind, but in my heart...I fear...I don't know exactly what I fear." Hisagi hung his head, ashamed that someone who did not even knew him guessed at what he was going through.

"When I was your age...I had all sorts of problems with Himitsu Soyokaze, but there was one person who I could depend on to help me through them. He scared me at first, but now I think of him as a father figure. If you go to Yamamoto and ask him if Nemu can be placed here, I suggest that you ask him to help you with Kazeshini."

"Yama.." He swallowed and cleared his voice. "The General-Commander? I don't think I need to talk to him about anything as little as this to him." Just the thought of talking about such personal problems with the highest ranking officer of the entire soul society was daunting.

Katsumi leaned closer to him, "He's not going to bit you, and as your immediate superior it is his duty to help you with your training." She shoved him gently with her arm, "I was in the first academy graduating class, so I think I have known him longer than you have. I know he can answer these types of problems, or at least point you in the proper direction; that is what he has done for me."

Hisagi looked up hopefully, "Do you really think he will help me?"

She smiled back, "If he took the time to straigten out not only me, but my two looser friends Shunsui and Jushiro, he will help you. The old man even forced Kendo lessons on Zaraki, and he hated that with a passion; he wound up having to use it too. Of course Yamamoto would help out one of the best and brightest the seireitei has. And you would have no one better in helping you get named Taichou...I would not recommend mentioning that to him." Katsumi winked as she said the last. Shuhei's jaw dropped open, then he stammered a denial at wanting to attain the rank of Taichou. "You have been acting Taichou for the last several months during war time, on top of your duties as fukutaichou. If anyone has shown what kind of officer he would be...it is you. You have to take the initiative; we all know you can do the job, but you have to actively work to achieve it. Yamamoto has seen more history than anyone else, and as such he would be a great resource to achieve your goal. He really likes you, though he may not show it." Katsumi stood up on the roof. "If he tries to get our of it...just tell him that I sent you to him. He may be wise and powerful now, but at one time he was just like us. Give him a chance." With that she turned and shunpoed in the direction of the 11th Squad grounds.

Shuhei was daunted by the prospect of approaching the General-Commander, but Katsumi has known him for centuries. If anyone know how he would react, it would be her. He was thankful that he could talk to someone like her about Tosen; he had been trying to deal with it on his own. He tried to talk to Komamura Taichou once, but the fox headed shinigami was as confused about his old friend as Hisagi was. Maybe this would be a good thing, something that will help sort out his feelings about the betrayal of his Taichou and best friend.


	9. Suggestions and Zanpakutos

**Sorry this is so long, but I tried to shorten it. The confrontation between Kenny and Yachiru can be found in a seperate story called "Confessions:Part 1". As Katsumi was not there to witness it, it will be shown in a separate story**. **I do not own Bleach or it's characters, Katsumi is mine.**

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"Lady-shi! Lady-shi! Lady-shi!" Katsumi stopped as a small, pink haired tornado threw itself into her arms. She laughed as she held the squirming child, and only looked up as Ikkaku and Yumichicka stopped in front of her.

"Where are you all off to in such a rush?" She asked, laughing.

"I'm going to the Shinigami Woman's Association meeting. You wanna come with me?" Yachiru asked hopefully. "We have a really cool club house on the Kuchiki estate."

"I'm sorry, but I am not a member. Is that why Ikkaku and Yumi is with you? Do they belong?"

Yachiru giggled while both men vigorously shook their heads no. "Your silly. Ken-chan said they had to come with me for some reason." She thought back to the last meeting when she played a game of tag with Byu-chan, and looked forward to playing with him again. Both men remembered the rare site of Kuchiki Taichou chasing the child with his zanpakuto swinging at her back. That was the only time they had ever seen the normally unflappable Taichou loose his vaulted control.

"We are here to make sure she stays out of trouble. We were going to visit Renji while she was in the meeting." Ikkaku stated.

Katsumi considered a few minutes. "It just so happens that I need to speak to Kuchiki Taichou on one or two matters. Would you mind if I walked over with you?"

"That would be fun. But what do you mean that you are not a member? You are a shinigami and a woman, aren't you?" Yachiru asked with a small frown on her face.

"Yes, I am a female shinigami, but my job description prevents me from joining those types of clubs." An Adjudicator is suppose to exist outside the Division. She was assigned to squad 4 on paper only; and her tie to squad 2 was due to her ability, but she wasn't a true part of it either. Katsumi was an outside observer, both in her job and socially. And Adjudicators were the outside observers to all the different divisions they visit. This leads to a sense of alienation within their own peer groups, which is why she holds on so tightly to the few close friends she has. "We should be off then. You do not want to be late to your own meeting, Madame President." They all turned and headed in the direction of the Kuchiki estates.

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Byakuya looked up when he heard a knocking at his door. Seeing an old friend, he stood and came around the desk to give her a gentle hug. "Katsumi, it is wonderful to see you again. I had heard your were back from your assignment."

"My...haven't you grown up to be such a handsome man." She placed her hands on each side of his face. "A real lady killer." She then kissed each of his cheeks. He stiffened.

"I do not kill ladies." Byakuya sternly stated.

"It's American slang...women are find you very attractive." Katsumi stepped back. "You need to relax more. I can barely tell when you are joking or serious." Byakuya gestured for her to go out onto the terrace, where they both seated them selves by a small tea table. A servant appeared with a tray and proceeded to pour them tea.

"I am accompanying Yachiru to her SWA meeting. I must say I was rather surprised you let them meet here on your estate." Katsumi slid him a covert smile.

Byakuya's lips pursed. "I did not LET them, but it seems impossible to get rid of the pests." Katsumi had to laugh. "I try to hole up any secret entrances I find; but like vermin, they always seem to find another way in."

There was a long pause. "I am sorry to hear about Hisana. I never got to meet her; but for you to love her, she must have truly been a special person."

"She was perhaps the most gentle woman I have ever met. She will always hold a large part of my heart." He stopped talking and remembered their brief time together beneath these very same cherry trees.

Katsumi fell silent as well. Neither spoke until they finished their cups of tea. "I do hope you will not hate me for this, but I feel compelled to speak for Ginrei, your grandfather."

"I know what you are going to say.", he broke in.

"Yes, I know you do, but it needs to be said. The fact that you know what I am about to say shows that know what you should do." Katsumi leaned forward. "That a shinigami, a noble at that, has found such deep love is a wonderful thing; but you have spent the last few decades grieving. You need to move on and accept that you can form another relationship with someone else. Your grandfather had three wives...and he loved each of them dearly. It is not only for your own emotional welfare, but as head of the Kuchiki Clan you need an heir. If you do not want one of your own body; you need to find a niece or nephew that you can adopt, maybe outside the family there is a boy or girl the family will except?"

"I hear you and understand your concern. I also know it is time to let Hisana go, but knowing and doing are two different things. I am working on it. Now I do not wish to discuss the matter any further...thank you for showing concern. What else is on your "need to do" list." The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "I remember grandfather talking about it whenever you were here at the seireitei."

Katsumi smiled, "I think your grandfather may have talked too much, you know me better than most of the shinigami here. Yes...I do have a couple of other things to disuse with you. The first is the state of Rukia's seating."

A guarded look appeared in Byakuya's eyes. "What about Rukia?"

"Ukitake wants to name her as fukutaichou of the 13th squad, and she deserves it. He hasn't because you asked him not to name her to any of the upper seats. I understand you where just trying to protect her, but you can see that depriving her of the rank has not been kept safe. If anything it may have lead to some of the problems she has faced during this last year. Will you withdraw your objection? You know she deserves better, and she would grow to hate you should she find out it was you who was holding her back. Fukutaichou is an individual's choice...not her families, and you know that."

"I concede that she would have been better off as a higher seated officer than she was, she may have been spared from some of the turmoil she went through. It would behoove me to continue objecting to her promotion. If Ukitake approached me about this I will give my approval."

"Thank you, I know it is hard for you to let go of your promise to your late wife, but Rukia is a competent shinigami who needs to grow. The next issue is Abari Renji. You know they are looking for candidates to take the captain's exams, they are going to ask you about him."

Byakuya looked startled. "Renji? As Taichou? He is simple not ready. He has the power, or should I say the beginning of power, for that position, but intellectually...he is not fit for such a position yet. Hitsugaya needs to learn better control of his zanpakuto as well, but his maturity and sense of responsibility makes him more than suited for his duties. But Renji has not developed that level of maturity yet."

"I agree with you on that assessment, but maybe he can take a more active role in the running of one of the squads. To learn and hopefully develop that maturity, until someone more suited for that role can be found."

Byakuya turned a stern look on Katsumi. "That is a possibility, but it is something for us to decide. As Adjudicator you may only make suggest possible actions. Consider us advised."

Katsumi merely smiled at him. She was proud of how the little boy she knew had turned into such a mature, handsome, and responsible man. "That is all I am doing...suggesting. I know my place in this society, so you do not need to remind me of it. I was doing this when your grandfather was just a child. Haven't they taught you to respect your elders?"

A quiet snort escaped him. "I will respect you as an elder the day you start acting as one, at least you do not behave as childishly as Shunsui or others. Talking about the empty seats, you are now going to mention Hisagi Shuheu fukutaichou." One of his eyebrows lifted in curiosity.

"How well you know me." She smiled fondly. "And you would be correct. It is time he is Taichou in name, not just as "acting taichou". I know he has no banki, but he is more than qualified for the position, the exam should not even be necessary. When he is recommended as such, will you also recommend him? I am pretty sure of most of the votes, but I wanted to see how you felt about it?"

"Hisagi has done an admiral job these past few months, especially given the circumstances of Tosen's leaving. I will take it under advisement and consider how I will vote." He made sure to emphasize each of the I's in that statement. "If the Adjudicator has no other items on her list, I would like to spend the rest of the time with my friend...Katsumi." Byakuya looked at her from over the rim of his cup.

"I don't think the Adjudicator has anything more to say." Katsumi smiled. "So tell me...how goes the family? Any new children or marriages in the clan? Maybe you might know about any juicy gossip that is making the rounds here in the seireitei? I hear that you and Yachiru have a real love/hate relationship going."

They spent the rest of the hour drinking tea, looking out over the garden, and sharing Byakuya's secret vice...gossip. Around her, he felt same enough to share it.

Heading back to the 11th 's barracks for the second time that day, only this time Yachiru was swinging on her arm, Katsumi contemplated the issue of Kenpachi and his fukutaichou. She decided that it would probably be best to cone out and ask.

"When are you going to tell Kenny? He deserves to know. Maybe 10 years ago he wouldn't be able to handle it, but now that he is actively trying to talk to his zan...he can handle it."

"I know," a small frown crossed Yachiru's small face. "but Kenny is going to be really mad at me. And Kenny isn't very nice when he is mad." She looked up hopefully. "No one else knows either, maybe I shouldn't say anything."

"That is not fair to Kenny. You twp will always be together, no matter what. Give him a chance. If he yells at you, do what most women do to me...cry. Kenny can not deny you anything, and he will go out of his way to make you stop crying."

"Will you come with me when I tell him?" Yachiru looked up at the tall woman with puppy dog eyes.

"Crying will only work oh him...not me. Besides this is something between the two of you. I do not belong there. But I will do this for you...you may come and sleep in my room if he gets too mad at you."

"I guess." She kicked imaginary rocks at her feet. "But do I need to do it today? Cant I wait till tomorrow, or next week...or month." Yachiru took in the stern look on Katsumi's face. "OK...tonight.", she grumbled. "Remember you said I can stay in your room tonight."

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**[see note at top of screen]**

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Katsumi moved about her rooms, straightening it up for her visitor. The question is...who will it be? She wore a flowered kimono that Yumichika helped her pick out earlier that week. She bought out a bottle of saki, along with a collection of sweet cakes. She expected her visitor at anytime. She had heard the raised voice and Yachiru's secret weapon...crying. It had been quiet for the past half hour, so she was not surprised when her door rattled under the force of loud knocks.

She opened the door to see a harried looking Kenpachi. He was wearing only his fundoshi, but he seemed unaware of his lack of wardrobe. His hair fell about his face, disturbed from pulling it and running his hands through it from frustration. There was a most unsettled look in his eyes. Katsumi stepped back to allow him entrance to her rooms. He slumped down onto a couch that lined one wall. She walked to the desk, poured a large glass of saki, and handed it to the large, shell-shocked man.

"I assume that because you are here that Yachiru talked to you." Katsumi tried to sound understanding and supportive, but all she wanted to do was laugh at the look on his face.

"You knew! You fucken knew! How the hell can Yachiru be my zanpakuto? I thought the sword I've been using all these years was it, but it is a little girl." He sounded shocked, confused, flabbergasted, and defeated.

"It is an unnamed zan, just like the one I use. Both of our zanpakutos are not meant to be used for outright fighting, but no one needs to know that. I like to think that I am a pretty good fighter with out Himitsu Soyokaze, and there is no better fighter than you. So there true forms don't really mater very much." She tried to console him.

"She never told me. All these years and distances we have traveled since the Zaraki District...and she never fucken told me." Kenpachi emptied his glass, so she filled it to the brim again.

Katsumi gently smiled, "She was afraid to, and apparently she had reason to be. You are really very lucky. Most shinigami who refuse to listen to their zans...never do. Yachiru was not only strong enough to force herself to materialize, which usually takes years of training, but she was able to force you to listen to her. She is really something special." She infused as much admiration into her voice as she could.

He looked up from his half-filled glass, "You said both and our; if that isn't your zan, where is she?"

She took on a resigned look. "I think I will tell you, but you have to swear that you are never going to tell another soul about it." He nodded gravely. "Only a handful of people know about her, but only 3 know what she even looks like. Though she is most visible, not many people associate these with a zanpakuto." Both of her hands reached up and covered the flower like earrings she always wore. "Your zan is a fukutaichou, and mine is a piece of jewelry. Not very useful...is she."

"Che, freaken weak if you ask me, but you fight very well, so it doesn't really matter." He paused, a curious expression on his face. "What do they do? Are they kido based or something?"

Katsumi sat on the couch next to him; she could not help but admire his muscular body, but made sure he did not notice. She quickly dragged her attention away. "Himitsu Soyokaze can talk to any other zanpakuto. In other words...she is a big gossip. Have you given any thought to what Yachiru does for you?"

"What you said...she can manifest herself. I would say that is pretty special." Kenpachi stated this with pride in his fukutaichou.

"That is special, but she does a lot more than that." She placed her hand on his bare thigh, "Think back to before you met her. I heard about your early life in the 80th district. You had no childhood...you only killed. That was all. It did not matter the time, the person, or how well they fought...you killed. You were truly the demon everyone called you. What happened after you met Yachiru?"

Kenpachi thought back to those blood soaked years, "I became bored with fighting just anyone. The only fights that interested me where with worthy opponents."

"You gained more control over yourself, you no longer lost yourself in the battle. You still loved fighting, but now it was only fights worth fighting that interested you. Merely staying in the district killing anyone was no longer enough for you, both of you left the district to find that better fight. Till you wound up here at the seireitei. Yachiru's concentration is on you when you are in a big fight, this is so you don't go back to your old ways...she makes you think about what you are doing. You are who you are today, due to her...Zaraki Kenpachi Taichou of Squad 11. If you ever loose her you will probably go back to killing indiscriminately like a hollow, and the shinigami would feel obligated to put you down like one too. So whatever happens do not loose her." She hesitated. "Can I ask just_ how_ did you leave her?"

Kenpachi looked disgusted with himself and said in embarrassment, "I held her while she cried, then put her to bed. Read her favorite fucken story too!"

She smiled. "I would have to say that Yachiru is one of the most important zanpakutos in all of Soul Society. Everyone else can survive without theirs, but she is crucial to you. I would suggest not telling anyone else about her; they will remove her as fukutaichou, and anyone targeting you will know to take her out first. She also shows another side of you. Never having a childhood, you never got to experience any of the joys it can bring. Yachiru is, simply put, your inner child. So don't get made when she eats a lot of sugar, plays pranks, or generally have fun...it is you doing all those things."

Kenpachi grinned with a mixture of pride and embarrassment. He finally started looking about Katsumi's rooms he had heard about from Yachiru and Yumi. His gaze settled on the far wall, several weapons were mounted on display. Some her recognized, but others he did not. They continued talking about weapons, their pros and cons, where they came from, and from which time frame. About an hour passed, and several glasses of saki, when Kenpachi let out a huge yawn.

"Must be later than I thought. I guess I ought to be heading back, thanks for listening to me. Your wall here is really something." His eyes continued to flit over the razor sharp blades, the spiked maces, and other deadly toys.

"Thank you for visiting me, but I really thought I would be putting Yachiru up for the night. You make a really good father, maybe a little strange, but she is a gem. Oh! I do not mind a great body... but maybe you might want to wear a bit more the next time you come for a visit." Zaraki looked down, finally realizing what, or rather what not, he was wearing. He refused to be embarrassed. He had worked hard for this body, and Katsumi didn't seem to mind it either. "I got to go. Need to check up on the runt before heading to bed myself. Thanks."

As he left her room, Katsumi just smiled and enjoyed the view.


	10. Paperwork Woes

**This is a bit of a long one, hopefully Rangiku wont let it get too boring. I hope that it isn't out of character for Yumi...I was a bit worried about that.**

**I do not own Bleach or any of it's characters...Katsumi is mine.**

Katsumi had spent the entire morning in the 11th squad's first aid station she had set up. She was inundated with wounded, unconscious squad members; she fixed them up, sent them back, only to have them return in the same condition an hour later. She began to feel she should never had told Yachiru to confess to Kenny about her true form, he was fulfilling the promise he made that night to beat up the entire squad so she would feel better. Blood was splattered on her uniform, smeared across her face, completely covered her arms up to her elbows, and was encrusted under her finger nails. She looked up tiredly as Yumichika entered carrying another body across his shoulders.

"AH SHIT! NO! No more! I swear...if they don't stop or I don't get help...I am going to curse you all in way that will make the entire seireitei cringe!" She could feel the blood pounding in her temples. "You!" Yumi stopped in the middle of lying the injured man onto a mat looking like a deer caught in headlights. They had all seen the gentle, confident, almost joking healer, but this was the first time he had seen her having a Zaraki moment. "Get your white ass over here and help these men, they are the least critical cases. I need to see to those others."

Yumi's expression ranged from incredulous to almost a hint of fear. "What can I do? I'm not a healer or anything."

"Normally, I would coddle your little hangups and humor you, but not now. They are unconscious and wont notice anything you do anyway."

"I don't know healing kido, I don't know what you expect me to do." A flash of unease swept through him. He had kept his knowledge of kido secret for years, but he felt that this woman somehow knew what he was capable of.

Katsumi placed both of her hands on her hips in exasperation, adding to the blood already on her uniform. "Are going to stand there and deny you graduated from the academy with highest marks in the demonic arts? Forget it...wont wash with me. You are helping me...now...this minute, so get over here and get to work."

"Do you swear no one will find out?" Yumichika asked nervously, so out of character for him that she almost felt sorry she had to do this to him. It was so ingrained in him to deny his ability that actually using it this way was terrifying to him.

She sighed, that he was even asking was a very good sign; she had thought it would require more arguing and bullying. "Yes...I swear I will never reveal your secrets to anyone. I would never had told you to help me if Kenpachi and Yachiru weren't so set on decimating your squad." She snorted. "I'm surprised that they hadn't killed anybody yet." Yumi gave a weak smile before turning to give aide to the shinigami nearest him.

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A few hours, and many shinigami, later Katsumi looked up as she heard two female voices approaching the room.

"There you are Katsumi! We were..Good God! What happened here!" Ise Nanao was first through the door, with Matsumoto Rangiku following. "It looks worse than a war zone in here. Are you alone?"

"Yes. As you can see I am rather busy here, may I help you with anything?" She strode forward so that their backs were facing the still form of Yumichika. He had froze completely still where he knelt by the far wall, hoping not to attract any notice.

"We were hoping that you could help us." Rangiku explained. "At the SWA meeting the other day, we had decided to throw a dance to help raise money. We were hoping that you could help with the music. Nanao said you were always listening to it and have a great collection."

"Weelll..." Katsumi drew out, "I suppose I could, but what would I get in return for helping you?"

Both women looked at each other. Nanao suggested.."Free tickets?" and the same time Rangiku mentioned.. "All the free saki you can drink?" Nanao winced as she mentally added to the budget for saki, which was already quite high, maybe they should raise the price of the tickets.

"You expect me to believe that not paying to get into a party that I will be working at is an incentive? And I only really drink whenever Shun-sui is around...and I don't think that Nanao wants a drunken Taichou at the dance." The look crossing the fukutaichou's face at the thought of spending the evening with her drunken Taichou begging for a dance was classic. "I do have another suggestion. I am going to be speaking to Hitsugaya Taichou within the next couple of days. You can buy me dinner tonight and tell me about him, and we will call it even." Katsumi already knew all about him from his zanpakuto, Hyourinmaru, but it is always helpful to get the impressions of a person close to him. His fukutaichou could tell her what she and squad 10 thinks of him. "I swear that I wont ask you to betray any secrets about him, just tell me how you and others think about him and how best to approach him."

She looked relieved at this, assured that she wouldn't have to be disloyal to Toshiro.

"Deal. I will pay for dinner and tell you what I know, and you will take care of the music for the dance. I will meet you around 6:30 by the West Gate. I know a little restaurant that has great food and no one will disturb us." The statuesque blond held out her hand, and she and the healer shook on their agreement.

"I cant leave from here and don't have a hell butterfly, could you send word to Squad 4 that I need 2 or there people here to help me out?" They both agreed hastily, hoping she wouldn't ask them to help her. They retreated back to safer ground.

Katsumi turned to the unnoticed Yumichika. "I expect to have some help arriving soon, or if you want to leave...go ahead. I want to thank you for the help, you just may have saved my sanity there. Sorry I had to push you into helping me. I wont tell anyone: Ikkaku was in your graduating class, he must know what you can do. You are constant companions even longer. He and Zaraki know how well you fight, maybe they wont hold your kido skills against you?"

Yumi snorted. "Ikkaku only notices the thing he wants to notice, and Taichou has stated numerous times how he feels about it. A slightly whist full look crossed his face. "Maybe if he could accept it...," he shook his head, "He'll only change when the sky turns purple with yellow speckles." A slight blush appeared on his cheeks as he said in an embarrassed tone, "I'm glad I could help you. It seems to be taking them longer to return wounded, maybe they are winding down a little. I'll see what I can do to get them to finish up." He briefly bowed and returned to the training grounds, while Katsumi waited for help from the 4th to arrive.

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The three shinigami sat around a table in a small restaurant run by a family member of squad 10. Matsumoto reminiscence about her Taichou. His likes and dislikes were addressed. "And what ever you do...he is Hitsugaya Taichou. Do not mention his height, age, or color of his hair. He hates being called Shiro-chan, only Ukitake Taichou and Momo can call him that; even then he corrects her." Rangiku made sure to get this point across.

At this time Katsumi became aware of just what Himitsu Soyokaze and Haineko were taking about. She had wanted some time to think on what the women told her before approaching the young Taichou, but apparently that was not to be the case. "So be honest and upfront about everything and don't try to sugar coat things to make it sound better than it actually is." Katsumi tried to wrap up the conversation before it was too late. Himmitsu Soyokaze was starting a conversation with Hyourinmaru.

"Exactly." Nanao assured her. The 8th's fukutaichou knew nearly as much about him as here companion, even though they were in different squads. The friendship between the two was odd due to how unlike they were, but maybe that was why they were so close.

As Hyourinmaru approached the restaurant, Katsumi quickly changed the subject. "How about you tell me about what kind of music you want: rock, pop, jazz...there are several dozen styles to chose from."

"I have this song stuck in my head...and I do not know where I heard it from. Maybe from when we were stationed in the mortal world. It went lik..."

"Matsumoto! Where are you!" The three women heard this yelled from outside the building.

"Oh Rangiku! Did you leave without doing your paperwork again?" Nanao reproved her friend. Hitsugaya Toshiro Taichou walked through the entrance.

"There you are! I bet you're drunk again. You have not completed today's duties, and the day is almost over. Now get back to the barracks and get it done." He said in a familiarly force manner. A sweat drop appeared on the blond's brow. Her eyes fell upon Katsumi.

"Taichou! I am so glad you are here. I was going to get my work done, but Katsumi here needed to talk to me." She quickly stood up and grabbed the startled woman's arm; Nanao groaned and closed her eyes. "Katsumi...may I introduce you to my Taichou...Histugaya Toshiro. You were saying you were wanting to meet him and here he is." A huge smile plastered on her face. "And Taichou! They have private rooms here in the back. Why don't the two of you have a nice cup of tea and get acquainted with each other. I have to go back to my important work."

A look of surprise crossed his face, and then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Adjudicator Katsumi, it is an honor to be able to meet you. What were you needing to discuss?"

"Matsumoto fukutaichou's suggestion is a good one. Let us go to a private room for some tea and conversation." She threw a look at the buxom blond. "She can return and finish her paperwork. Maybe she will have it completed by the time you get back, and I'm sure Nanao really needs to catch up with Shun-sui. Make sure he hasn't fallen asleep on the roof again, possible put him to bed." Nanao flushed. Both excused themselves and fled from the area. The waiter hastened over to bow them to a back room and bring them tea.

He spoke first, "When I became Taichou and was told about Adjudicators I was a bit intrigue. I was aware that the Soul Society wasn't large enough to hold all the souls from the whole world, but I had never really thought about it till that time. Please tell me, are the other divisions similar to ours?" He asked curiously. Hitsugaya was indeed intelligent, of all the taichous over the years, he was one of the few that actually ask questions about her job. As an intermediary she was limited to how much she was allowed to tell him.

"In structure they are much alike. The individual districts, shinigami, the military structured squads, and the council are very similar. Of course they all use different names for them, but they serve basically the same service. Their appearance fits the cultures they come from; here you get feudal Japan. Except for the seireitei, even the architecture from the slums to the noble houses are derived from it. Only the North American Division is more eclectic; the individual districts are not divided by only class, but culture as well. Many wander from one area to another quite freely, but others stay in the district that is more culturally familiar to them. The others are basically mirror images of us. That is all I'm able to tell you about it, sorry. The Spirit King doesn't allow true knowledge to flow back and forth, otherwise what is the use for Adjudicators. Of course when certain things happen, like Aizen, the Commander-Generals all seem to hear of it, but we try to control that."

Hitsugaya nodded understandingly. "I know about your lobbying for Hisagi fukutaichou. Let me assure you I would be happy to recommend him being named Taichou of the 9th Squad. He is intelligent and responsible, though he does drink a bit to much. That is not unusual unfortunately, but he doesn't allow it to affect his leadership and job." He took a sip of his tea.

"My thanks Hitsugaya Taichou, I an sure he would be happy with your endorsement. But there is something else that I think will affect you more, and I think I will come straight out and tell you. I am aware of your close ties to Hinamori Momo fukutaichou, and I know the only reason the 5th squad hasn't fallen apart is because of your overseeing it. I feel that you should know that I am trying to get her removed as fukutaichou. She may have made a good 4th or 5th seat at one time, but Aizen is the only reason she made it as far as she has."

Toshiro felt the familiar blaze of anger when he heard Aizen's name, and his feelings of guilt about his failure to protect her threatened to swamp him. But after several months of self recriminations, it no longer caused him to loose his temper as it once had. What bothered him was that he was unable to deny her statement, and that made him feel he was betraying her. He had these same thoughts on his own before the whole issue of Aizen even happened.

"Her squad does not trust her." His mouth opened to object, but she continued before he could say anything. "Do not get me wrong. The all lover her as she is, but trust her as a leader? They do not. They are holding it together because they trust you to lead them. That is what makes Hisagi so impressive, his squad would follow him into Hueco Mundo if he asked it of them."

Toshiro gave a defeated sigh. "You are correct of course, and I can not deny any of it. Wouldn't it hurt the squad to loose her, they are still getting over their Taichou leaving them. I do not know if the 3rd seat would do a good job either."

"Maybe, maybe not, but I feel she is doing more harm where she is at. As long as she stays there they will never move on and get any better. The current 3rd can keep it together long enough till a new Taichou is found, if you continue to monitor it." Toshiro was conflicted. He felt hurt and anger about Momo, the responsibility to Squad 3, and the pleasure at being acknowledged about the job he was doing. "I am trying to get her removed from the Goti 13 completely."

He looked up in anger. "Just a moment... I can see her being demoted, but to be removed completely?

You said she would be a good 4th or 5th seat, being forced out would only make her worse. It would undo all the healing she has already done."

"Before Aizen she would have been a good seated officer, but now she is simple damaged. Aizen has severely damaged her psyche, in effect he mind raped her. The military structure of the Goti 13 is inhibiting her healing. She has not regained enough control to survive in this environment." She hoped he was truly listening to her, and thinking about what she was saying. "She was well enough to return to the battle field, but she did not face Aizen. If he were to appear before her now, would she pull her sword or try talking to him to find some way to justify his actions?" Toshiro remembered the look on Momo's face in the monitor at Orihime's, as she plead with him not to harm that sleazy... Even now she was missing that chirpy attitude she had been known for, when it did show it was harsh and forced. "As Taichou it is your duty to see to the welfare of the Seireitei first, your squad second, and then to personal feelings. She needs to be removed. I am sorry."

He could not argue with what the Adjudicator was saying. "What would happen to her? Where would she go? As a shinigami, we owe her our support."

"Her...mastery of the Demon Arts is very high level, and how she can combine spells without much thought is inspiring. I think the Kido Corps would be an ideal environment where she can heal and use her skills. They only have 2 leadership positions, so she would not really be demoted. They aren't as militarily structured too. If she continues with the therapy and moves to the Kido Corps, she may be able to return in the future. But she might want to stay with them. She would still be close to her friends and you."

"The Kido Corps, that might be for the best. I do admit that I am getting tired of running two squads, it would be nice if they got a new Taichou. At least Momo is better than Rangiku at doing her paperwork." He was still struggling with feelings of hurt.

She smiled at him gently. "You are such a workaholic. You know you would get bored if Rangiku actually did all of the paperwork she is suppose to. It is much the same as Nanao and Shun-sui, only in reverse."

"What were the three of you talking about when I came in?" He suspected they were talking about him.

"I'm going to be supplying the SWA dance with music. Are you going to attend? What type of music do you like?" And she was being completely honest with him. It was BEFORE he came in that they were talking about him.

"That dance is all I hear about. Rangiku has taken up humming and singing to herself in the office. Unfortunately, I'm sure she is going to drag me to it one way or another. I have no preference to music of any kind...well I have been thinking about one band I heard in the mortal world, something like UVERworld."

They sat drinking their tea, talking about the mortal realm and the things he had seen there. Some of which made no sense to him. She tried to clear up some of the strange things the living have come up with. Soon the finished and left to return to their barracks. Toshiro to see how Matsumoto was doing with her paperwork, and Katsumi to the 11th Squad barracks. As Katsumi was headed back to her rooms a humming came to her attention. At first she didn't know what it was, till she recognized it as an off tuned Back in Black. The guard in the next hall seemed unaware of what he was singing. She chuckled to herself, apparently Himitsu Soyokaze had decided to share her joy of music.

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**I hope next chapter will be better. Please read and review-that is how I know what to fix or concetrate on.**


	11. To Kido or Not to Kido

**I am sorry about throwing the whole Katsumi/Kenpachi relationship at you without more leading up to it, but this whole chapter 11 thing is bothering me. I had really wanted to do something shorter (I cringe when I see chapters 15, 20, even seen a 55), which is why I am publishing some scenes as separate one-shots. Katsumi is present at all events in this story, either as prominent or a background spectator. All other stories are stand alone and are published as supplementary to the main story _The Victorious Beauty._**

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The forest outside of the seireitei's south wall had rung with the sounds of clashing steel throughout the morning. Next to the placid lake, under the leaves of the surrounding trees, two shinigami sat relaxing after a morning of sword play. Kenpachi was somewhat satisfied with the match, but it hadn't been bloody enough to be truly enjoyable. The ideal of causing any real harm to Katsumi was strangely unappealing to him, but the woman was still a true fighter. They both sat under the trees, watching the fish jumping in and out of the lake's surface. Katsumi was breathing hard, trying to catch her breath after the exhausting battle. If it had not been for her skill at healing kido, and her ability at healing herself in the middle of fighting, she would not had been in any condition to move, let alone stand.

"You said you wanted to talk to me woman, so talk before I change my mind." This was part of Katsumi's agreement with him earlier...they get to have a serious conversation after the fight was over. Hopefully the talking wont take away any of his enjoyment of the fight. He knew she was going to make him think a lot, and that was something he tried to avoid.

"The three Taichou positions need to be filled. You haven't said anything good about Hisagi, but you haven't said anything bad either. I know you wouldn't recommend him to be named Taichou of the 9th squad, but will you accept it if 6 others recommend him?"

Kenpachi grunted, "I suppose, what happens to the 9th squad doesn't really matter to me, but Ikkaku and Yumi like him. He's already running it now so it wouldn't make much difference if he is named Taichou or not...so fine."

"Squad 3 needs a Taichou that will kick ass. Someone who can tear them down, then build them back up into a true fighting source." Katsumi was happy that he was willing to go along with Hisagi, but she was unsure about his feelings about this part.

"Che...squad 3 sucks, a bunch of wimps. I can feel for whoever gets that job." A disturbing grin crossed his face. "Though that could be a lot of fun."

"I know someone who can do that job," she leaned against his shoulder, "but it depends totally of you."

"Me!" An incredulous look on his face, "What do I have anything to do with it? You know that Yachiru stays with me."

Katsumi smiled. "She belongs no where else but at your side. There is someone else with the ability and drive to do the job, but he wont take it."

"Ikkaku...I know. He should have been given greater responsibilities, but he seems happy with things the way they are now. I don't want him to go. He and Yachiru get along so well together, almost like an older brother and younger sister."

"They do act that way, with Yumichika the mom," His eyebrow lowered, a displeased frown appeared "not that I'm saying anything about you and him. Ikkaku would also take exception to that. But moving from one squad to another is not going away or dieing. He need _someone_ to tell him that taking the exam is the right thing to do. He has sworn to die under your command, and it is up to you to tell him to move forward and live. He is simply existing here, he should have more."

The ideal of Ikkaku leaving the "family" caused a certain amount of restlessness in Kenpachi. His 3rd seat was the closest he had ever come to family. "Why do I have to talk to him?" He actually whined, and he hated whining.

"Wouldn't it be nice to have someone like him with you at those Taichou meetings you hate so much? Maybe they wont be so boring for you, then. But you know he will never agree to such a promotion without your telling him he should."

"Yeah, I know. Most squads promote from within, especially with the 4th and 12th, which makes us unique. We supplied the 6th and 7th squads with their fukutaichous. If another Taichou comes from us as well...we _are_ an elite squad after all." Kenpachi had to smirk at this. The 11th squad were always referred to as barbarians, stupid, and looked down on as "cannon fodder", but if Ikkaku can become a Taichou...

"If Ikkaku does make it, you are aware you will probably going to be loosing a 5th seat as well." A horrified look appeared on his face, and few things horrified him. "He will probably name Yumi as his 2nd seat." Katsumi just had to giggle. "No one to do your paperwork, make sure things are kept in repair, and that the squad has enough money in the budget to pay for the saki parties you keep having with the 8th squad. Worse yet, without Ikkaku and Yumichika...who will babysit Yachiru and keep her out of trouble?" Kenpachi groaned and rubbed his face with his hands. Katsumi reached up to tug on his hair, the bell jingled mockingly like the high pitched laughter of a miniature tyrant. "But I could look into that for you."

Kenpachi's gaze flew up. "You'll transfer in?"

"Hell no! I'm not an idiot. I'm not great with kids, besides I already have a job I enjoy." The defeated look returned to his face. "But I have been looking over the files of the new graduates coming out of the academy, and I just may have spotted someone that can help. Just remember...you not looking for a fighter, but an administrator type who is good with children."

"Why would I want a wimp in my squad? If he isn't a fighter let him join the 4th." He replied indignantly.

"The 4th wont take him." At the dumbfounded look on his face she quickly explained. "The 4th specializes in healing kido, even their weakest knows kido; he only knows enough kido and fighting to barely pass. His intelligence is what put him over the top." Kenpachi's mouth still hung open slightly. "I think that one man watching over Yachiru is more impressive than one fighter or kido user that is interchangeable with any other fighter or kido user. And his paperwork would be perfect, even Yamamoto wont be able to find anything wrong with it."

"Let's first find out if Ikkaku will even that the damn exam before even considering letting a weakling into the squad." He paused, "As Taichou Ikkaku is going to half to put up with all that kido shit." Kenpachi didn't even want to think about some little gutless fool in his squad, so he refused to even talk about the possibility.

"That is where you come in again. You have to let your squad know that kido is alright to use, as long as it only supports a fighter's ability and not replace it." His mouth dropped open again, then he started to argue the point, but she interjected. "You seem to have gotten over the fact that I use kido."

"B..but you can fight!" He still had a hard time accepting that kido was of any use.

"So can others. A good number of your own squad can use kido, there are even a few that are quite talented. But they all refuse to because of your attitude to it and their loyalty to you. If they are allowed to use it as one of their weapons, like a second sword, they would probable be better fighters; and they would probably live longer too." Katsumi cuddled up to his side and played with the collar of his hori. "You seem to be enjoying our battle earlier. Think of the better fights they will be able to give you if they can use all of their abilities and not just some of them."

He looked down into her upturned face. "You know that you are too smart for your own good, don't you?" A hurt, innocent face looked up at him. "And don't go giving me that innocent crap either. I've spent decades with that manipulative Yumi to recognize when someone is pulling something over on me. Your just lucky that it doesn't bother me anymore." He leaned down and gave her a rough kiss.

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Early that afternoon the squad was gathered on the training grounds practicing; while Kenpachi looked on with Yachiru perched on his shoulder, and Ikkaku and Yumi standing at his sides. They watched the healer Katsumi spar with the 4th seat. He was showing just why he was given that position when she used Bakudo 4 Hainawa, to bind him long enough to to land a direct hit to his neck. Not a sound could be heard, except for the shinigami's harsh breathing, and all eyes turned to their Taichou. The kido tendril faded away.

"You're dead." Kenpachi said in a flat voice.

The shinigami stiffened, then bowed to his commander. "Forgive me sir! I should have given a better fight. If she had not used kido, I wou..."

"_If_ she had not used kido?" Kenpachi interrupted. "You think your opponent wont use kido because you don't? Battle doesn't work that way! You use whatever you have to win and survive. Kido should never replace your ability to fight, that is the way for the weak; but as a secondary supporting weapon, if you have it...use it. He spoke loudly so that all members of the squad heard what he said. He wondered if Katsumi pulled her little stunt just so he could make this speech; and he realized he was using the same phrasing that she used. As if she had written this speech for him.

Yumichika asked nervously, "So...if we know kido...is it really OK for us to use it? You always said it was for wimps."

"Yeah! You said real warriors don't need to cheat with crap like that." Ikkaku chimed in.

"If you are a good fighter that happens to know some kido, fine. I've been itching to fight Kuchiki for years, and he uses a lot of kido. He is still a great fighter like all the other Taichous, all of whom use kido. So...I guess that it is alright to use, but just...not all the time...and...don't depend only on it. You are fighters first. I would rather you all win...and come back alive, if you can help it." He felt embarrassed spouting such mushy feelings, this was a first for him.

"Awww! That so sweet, Kenny!" Yachiru was one of the only beings alive that he would allow to use his name and the word sweet in the same sentence.

Looking over his shoulder he saw that "Feather-Face" was snickering and "Baldy" was rolling around on the floor in a fit of laughter. Rolling his eyes, he turned back to the shinigami gathered in the training grounds. "I know you are all fighters, so if you have to use kido go ahead. Just not all too often, and just...when you have no other choice. AND WOULD YOU TWO SHUT THE HELL UP. You are getting me mad!" Yumi and Ikkaku quickly stopped making noise and stood soberly at their posts.

The individual sparring partners returned to their sparring matches; except this time there were occasional flares of white and red, with the rare shimmer of blue energy. Each time they occurred most would look at the Taichou to see how he would react to this use of kido. He watched the scenes taking place with a blank face, showing none of the emotions he may have been feeling.

"You know...some of out men aren't as good as I thought they were.", Ikkaku muttered.

"It's because they don't know how to deal with kido, it puts them at a disadvantage when battling opponents who do us it." Yumichika replied to his friends mumbling. "Some of our average fighters are doing better when allowed to use it, too" Yumi turned to Kenpachi, "Taichou...is it really alright to use kido? We have always looked down on it...calling people who use it wimps and cheaters. Do you truly condone it's use?"

"That's what I said, isn't it? If Kuchiki and the other Taichous can use it, and they are not weak, I guess it cant be all bad. You both know I've been sparring almost every day now with Katsumi,..." both shinigami nodded, "..and our fights are alright. If she hadn't been using kido along with her fighting skills, I wouldn't be enjoying it as much. She says kido isn't a trick, but just another weapon. Kind of like having a second sword on you. If you are in a fight, maybe for you life, and you don't use every thing you have, then you'd be a stupid fool. I want all of my men to be good fighters; but if any of them die because I don't like kido, it would be my fault." Kenpachi had thought long and hard about what Katsumi had pointed out to him several times, and he always came back to the same decision. "We are fighters and there is no better death than in battle, but I don't want them dieing when it could be avoided."

"Don't worry sir," Ikkaku spoke up, "we will always be fighters first. None of us will depend on that kind of thing, if we even know that demon arts crap. You know back in the academy Yumi was actually pretty good at it." Yumi looked at his partner in surprise, he didn't think Ikkaku remembered that; or even take notice of it. A faint blush appeared on his cheeks when Zaraki looked up at him in surprise. "Wasn't there a teacher that kept trying to get you to take his class, he was an instructor in kido."

Yumi turned even redder. "I didn't think you paid any attention to things like that, you were so wrapped up in the sword fighting classes."

"Of course I noticed! I always try to notice everything that happens to you, we are friends. I can now look forward to even better fights with you, and of course you are responsible for helping the men when it comes to practicing kido. I never understood that crap." Ikkaku stopped talking when he became aware of one of the unseated officers approaching them.

Both Zaraki and Ikkaku recognized him in a vague way, but neither had bothered to learn his name. Yumichika knew the young man as Tanaka Junji, an earnest ,but average, fighter who was well liked in general. Tanaka hesitantly approached his Taichou with a fearful look in his eyes. He bowed deeply before speaking. "Si..sir, Zaraki Taichou, I..I have a question...but..sir, I live for the 11th squad. I have no wish to be anywhere else but here, serving under you is a great honor..."

"Che, would you get on with it and ask your question." Kenpachi broke in to what promised to be a boring speech.

The young man gulped and shifted uneasily from one foot to another. "Well sir...if it is alright for us to use kido...only when necessary as a second weapon...I was kind of wondering about...", he looked down at his feet and shifted back to his other foot, "well, what about our... zanpakuto?"

"You're not making any sense, you fight with your zanpakuto. What does that have to do with anything?" Kenpachi asked with a confused look on his face.

"I..If y..your za..zanpakuto was kdbdmmmm...", here his voice lowered till you couldn't make out what he was saying.

"What the hell did you just say? Speak up!" Zaraki started to get an irritated tick at his temple.

"I..I said what if yourzanpakutowaskidobased?" The last was said in such a rushed way that the words all jumbled together.

"Did you just say what I think you did?" Ikkaku looked mildly alarmed at Yumi, whose eyes stayed riveted on their Taichou's face.

"Can we use our zanpakuto if they are...kido..based?" The poor man looked like he wanted nothing more than to take back his question and return to practice.

At first Kenpachi was going to yell at the cowering man, but he felt Yachiru tug on the back of his hori. As much as he wanted to deny it, his zanpakuto was kido based herself. He took a deep breath and exhaled a sigh, looking down at his subordinate. "Are you telling me that this whole time you were here you haven't been using your zan the way it was suppose to be used?" The shinigami nodded in despair. "And even without it you an OK fighter?" Tanaka glanced up to his towering leader, then looked away again. Nobody in the training ground moved or mad a sound; a few even held their breaths. Another man moved forward with a kind of stoicism and stepped up next to his comrade and silently bowed.

"You too?" The 11th squad had always looked down on kido and kido based zanpakutos, so Kenpachi found it hard to believe that two of his own squad members had kept the true natures of their zans hidden all this time. Slowly others came forward to stand with them, till about 13 stood in front of him. Zaraki became aware of movement to his side, looking down he noticed Yumichika walk down the steps and turn to face his Taichou. Unlike the others, he did not bow but stood tall, but his eyes never strayed from Ikkaku's shocked face.

Kenpachi looked down at his 5th seat, one of the best fighters in the squad, his Yachiru's babysitter, one of his right hand men, and a member of the family he had put together. He sighed again. "Only fighters are allowed in this squad." Yumi felt his heart stop, yet kept his face blank; but he never looked away from Ikkaku, hoping that the bond between them was not broken as well. "And the only people I see before me are fighters." Everyone's eyes flew to Zaraki. "As long as you are fighter's first, I see nothing wrong with kido based zanpakuto." The look of relief flood the men's faces; except for Yumi, who's eyes turned back to Ikkaku. "Training is over for the day. You all have duties that you need to see to. Ikkaku...I need to see you in my office. Now." He turned away and entered the offices, with Ikkaku silently following.

The hum of conversation swept the grounds, and the men whose zans were kido based turned to their superior in thanks. Yumi did not smile or show any emotions; he merely said thank you and started directing men to their chores. The haunted look did not leave his eyes as he looked at Katsumi, who had been standing quietly near the back wall. He nodded to her, wondering how much she had to do with the radical change of policy.

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**Author's Note: These scenes are published as separate stories.**

_**Looking Forward -**_** A meeting between Kenpachi and Ikkaku as the Taichou talks to him about the future.**

_**Forgiveness **_**- Ikkaku has just learned the true nature of his best friends zanpakuto, will their relationship ever recover from this feeling of betrayal.**

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Late that evening, Kenpachi laid back thinking over the events of the day; his head pillowed on Katsumi's lap as she gently massaged his temples. He had known some of his men knew kido, but had never expected that any of them had kido based zanpakutos. After all these years together, to find out that Yumi of all people had such a zan stilled shocked him. It had also shocked Ikkaku. The two had been together for over a hundred years, and Kenpachi hoped that this wont damage their friendship.

"I'm proud of you." Katsumi's voice came to him. He opened his eyes to look around her quarters. "That you care enough for your men and their lives, to lay aside your feelings about kido, it is a sign of how much you have grown as an individual. Before you met Yachiru, you would never have even been aware of other people's well being. Now you are thinking like the true Taichou of the Goti 13 that you are."

"You knew. Himitsu Soyokaze talks to zanpakutos, so you knew that Yumi's Fuji Kujaku was kido based. You knew about Yachiru, too. Just how much more do you know?" Kenpachi wasn't quiet sure how he felt about her zan's abilities. He was just beginning to get an inkling about what it might be capable of.

"I know lots of things," Katsumi confirmed. "but I do not tell secrets. I may work around them, but only reveal things if they are extremely dangerous to the Soul Society. Even then...I would rather find a way for the person to reveal it themselves."

Kenpachi was silent for a moment, as he considered her reply. "That's kind of scary, knowing so much about a persons secrets, but I'm not surprised you don't reveal that about her to people."

Katsumi laughed. "True, not many shinigami know about her, but all zanpakuto know and love her. She is hardly alone. I only wish she would have fewer friends, maybe that would cut down on the headaches all her chattering causes."

He sat up and turned to her. "You suffer headaches from your zanpakuto?"

"Well...yeah, I guess so. We've been together for more than 600 hundred years, so it has become the norm by now; don't know how I would handle not having pain. Maybe that's why I like the mortal realm so much, there are so few spiritual beings that it cuts down on the noise level. Of course it has certainly raised my pain tolerance, and allows me to function despite it." Katsumi had stopped thinking on her headache hundreds of years ago, so she hadn't really considered the benefits from it.

"Che, a six hundred year old migraine. Yachiru can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but at least I don't have to put up with anything like that." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. "I'm sure you already know what happened when I spoke to Ikkaku earlier, but you want me to tell you about it...right?"

"Yes please. I have your zans take of what happened, but it does not replace what you feel happened. One of the reasons I can not rely completely on zanpakutos; their perceptions could be flawed, they may be crazy or delusional, or what they think is true...simply isn't. I cant depend only on them for information, so...spill, what happened?"

He chuckled softly, "Ikkaku started on what a good fighter Yumi was and how much better he'd be if allowed to use his zan's ability, whatever that is. I don't think those two are going to have problems over this, but with those two you never know. I had to tell Ikkaku to shut up and listen to me. I think he thought I was going to throw Yumi out of the squad or something."

"Well, a few years ago and you just might have." She reminded him.

"Phew..yeah...but...enough of this. I told him I wanted to talk to him about his future." He rolled his eyes.

"And he thought you were going to throw them both out."

"If you knew this already, why are you wanting me to tell you?" A small burst of irritation flared through him.

"I'm sorry. I promise not to interrupt you again. Please continue with your story." She reassured him.

"You were right, of course. He thought I was going to get rid of them both. Once I got him to calm down I told him I was putting his name up to take the Taichou's exam." Kenpachi snorted, "It took him over a minute before he could even talk again. Then it was all "I cant do this" or "I could never be that", and then he started in on not having banki. It feels kind of nice having him so loyal like that, but when I told him I've known for years that he does have it, he avoided looking me in the eyes. That is so not like him." He looked over at Katsumi, waiting for her to make a comment. No such comment was forthcoming. "Well...aren't you going to say anything?"

A surprised look appeared on her face. "I promised you I wouldn't. But since you asked...I am surprised more people don't know, given the number of people who have actually seen him use it. You should feel flattered that your men are so loyal to you. Ikkaku willing to give up personal advancement to work under you, and Yumi and the others denying their own selves by refusing to use their zans as they should be used. That puts a lot of responsibilities on you, because it is now up to you to see to their well being." Kenpachi looked daunted at that. Running into battle against incredible odds was easy compared to seeing his men were emotionally and mentally good. He had only cared about his own interests in the Zaraki district, then it was just him and Yachiru, but now he was going to have to add the entire squad to that short list. "I'm sure you will do fine. You have become so much more than what you were decades ago."

"Back to earlier...Ikkaku argued about taking the exam, but I told him that I would be proud to have one of my men become a Taichou. That a little company at those boring meetings would be nice. He finally agreed to it, so I just might be loosing a 3rd seat." His emotions were still unsettled about the whole thing.

"I do have a suggestion." Kenpachi threw her an exasperated look. "It's your decision of course, but maybe you can take in Kira Izuru."

He sputtered, "You...you have got to be kidding me! Why would I want the simpering little twit in my squad?"

"He is a good fighter. His zans ability is kido based, but it relies on his fighting ability to use it. Also, his mastery of the demonic arts would help him instruct the other squad members who have been refusing further lessons on how to use their abilities. His only problem is confidence, or lack of it, which you have in abundance. He comes from a noble family; he has never had to fight for food and shelter like the rest of you. Then coming from the academy to the 4th squad didn't help, and shortly after entering the 3rd with Ichimaru; who crushed what confidence he had left." He grunted, so she continued with her argument. "The one thing you inspire in all of your men is confidence in self; even the most timid 11th member is equal to the average shinigami in other squads. Even those who leave, like Abari and Iba, retain that characteristic and still think of themselves as 11th squad members. I think that you can give Kira exactly what he needs to be a good shinigami."

"You just feel guilty about getting him kicked out of the 3rd squad.", he grumbled. "I'll think on it; but he would have to earn an officer's seat, and not just given one." That he even was willing to consider it was a big deal for him. "But if Yumi wants to stay with us...forget it; he cant stand the depressing man. I hop Ikkaku and Yumi will be able to get past this whole zan business." The two shinigami had a bond that he had always envied. Kenpachi despised relying on anyone, so he had never considered making such a relationship himself. But their bond never seemed to get in the way of self reliance by either side, which made it something special.

Katsumi smiled gently. "They are working on it right now, and I don't see it causing any lasting problems." She kissed him in a lingering way. "Lets not talk about them anymore. In fact...let's stop talking all together."

He smiled broadly. All the relationships, if one could call them that, he had been in before were strictly physical. He tried to ignore the yammering of his previous women, it always gave him indigestion. But with Katsumi, he actually liked talking to her, a first for him. He had to admit he liked the novelty.

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**Sorry this chapter was so long. I hope it is not too OOC. Please remember to R&R, it helps me by giving me ideals and informs me what I need to work on. I am hoping that this story wont go on much longer.**


	12. Taichou's Meeting

**This is going to be a short chapter. Please R&R.**

**I do not own Bleach or any of it's characters, Katsumi is mine.**

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A Taichous meeting was held three days latter. The nine current squad leaders all stood in their assigned places. Yamamoto stood facing the meeting hall; with 5 taichous to his right, and 4 to his left. Standing silently behind him stood two figures; that of the Adjudicator Katsumi, and the Commander of the Kido Corp Takeshi Kitano. Yamamoto stood on the elevated platform and banged his staff o the floor twice, silencing the talk.

"This meeting is now called to order.", his gravely voice echoed off of the overhead ceilings. "You all know Commander Takeshi, of the Kido Corp; and by now you should all have meet Adjudicator Katsumi." He bowed his head briefly, and the tall woman merely smiled. Yamamoto continued, "We need to get a few things straightened out before the joint meeting later this week with all of the fukutaichous in attendance." Before he could continue Kurotsuchi Mayuri interrupted by stepping forward. "Yes Kurotsuchi?"

Kurotsuchi of squad 12 spoke up, "I think the first thing that needs to be discussed is the Taichou position of squad 9. The Taichou Exam is given to judge what kind of leader a shinigami will become, but in Hisagi Shuhei's case we already know...he's been doing it for months. We all know what a good job he has done in these trying times. I recommend that we forgo the exam in his case and name him Taichou immediately."

Hitsugaya Taichou stated with conviction, "I, too, recommend Hisagi Shuhei Fukutaichou be named Taichou of squad 9. He is one of the more reliable shinigami in the seireitei, Taichous included." His icy blue eyes piercing Zaraki, Kurotsuchi, and Kyoraku.

One of Yamamoto's eyes cracked open as he threw a glance back at Katsumi. "Who here recommends Hisagi be named Taichou of squad 9?"

Unohana Retsu, Ukitake Jushiro, Kyoraku Shunsui, and Komamura Sajin stepped forward. After a hesitant moment, Kuchiki Byakuya advanced a step as well.

"Yamamoto Soutaichou," Sui-Feng broke in, "I am concerned over his lack of banki."

"I have talked with him, and expect him to reach banki before to much longer. Tousen's legacy to his fukutaichou has been dealt with." The old man assured her. The others shared a look at each other. At least Tousen's legacy to his subordinate wasn't as crippling as Aizen's was to his. The old man was usually stingy when it came to compliments; so when he assured that Hisagi's lack of banki was soon to be of the past, there were no doubts in anyone's mind that would be the case here. "The necessary six recommendations have been me with one extra, that leaves only one Taichou to accept the recommendations to meet the requirements. Sui-Feng..Zaraki..do either of you accept Hisagi as Taichou?"

Sui-Feng looked over at Katsumi, remembering the promise she had made earlier. Of course she had not expected the woman to get not only the six recommendations...but to exceed it. As she started to move forward, Zaraki loudly announced, "Che, the man's already doing the job...so sure..I'll accept it."

Yamamoto's cane thumped on the floor. "Done! It will be announced at the joint meeting. The new Taichou of squad 3 will also be introduced then. He was given the exam yesterday in the presence of two other Taichous." A murmur of curiosity came from the other people in the room, speculation on who took the test and who were the witnesses. Yamamoto thumped the floor to regain the officers attention. "That leaves us with one more seat to fill. If any of you have someone you wish to nominate, let me know by the end of the day. Tomorrow you will all be sent a list of possible candidates, most of whom you may no know. They come from away missions and posts outside of the Soul Society, so a brief history of each will be included. Let my fukutaichou know by the end of tomorrow who you feel should be given the opportunity of taking the exam."

The Soutaichou continued, "Now to turn our attention to the fukutaichous...Kurotsuchi Nemu will no longer be a member of squad 12, her future is still being discussed. The new fukutaichou will be presented at the joint meeting." He stopped speaking as Commander Takeshi walked forward and cleared his throat.

"Soutaichou..Taichous...as we are talking of the fukutaichous I feel it is necessary for me to address this issue.." It was unusual for the Commander of the Kido Corp to attend these meetings, let alone speak at them. "During the final battle of the Winter War Hinamori Momo fukutaichou was brought to my attention because her skill of the demonic arts. Her ability to combine and use effectively different spells show her mastery of it. She would be an asset as a member of my group, and I would like her to be reassigned to the kido corp."

Unohana, as head of the squad 4, addressed the room. "Speaking as a healer, I have gone over her medical files and feel that this would be a good thing for her. After her treatment from Aizen a change of surroundings would do more good than harm. I would suggest she continue with therapy, but this should help stabilize her mental health." Several of the Taichous threw a look toward Hitsugaya, knowing of the youngster's protectiveness of Momo. But he stood still with a blank look on his face.

"Granted." Yamamoto waited for Takeshi to return to his post. "That leaves us with the question of fukutaichou for squad 5. Kira Izuru will be stepping down, but what should we do with him? Leave him demoted as a member of squad 3, or transfer him? I personally feel that he is a good officer...and with more experience a good fukutaichou. We find ourselves with a squad that has no Taichou or fukutaichou."

"I might be able to help you with that." Surprise filled everyone's face as Zaraki spoke up. "He'll have to fight for whatever seat he gets, but...I'll take him."

Both of the Soutaichous eyes opened. "You Zaraki? I would never have expected that of you."

Zaraki shrugged diffidently, "He's a good fighter. All he needs is a little backbone, and there is no where better than squad 11 to get that." So spoke the most confident man in the seireitei. Most of the others just snickered at the boast. "If you want him to babysit the 5th till a new Taichou is found...fine, as long as Hitsugaya continues to oversee it."

Hitsugaya nodded his agreement. The oldest shinigami addressed the youngest Taichou, "Thank you Hitsugaya Taichou for overseeing a squad not your own. I do not like to drag a Taichou's attention away from their own squad, but in this case you are doing a good job. The 3rd and 5th squads are both understrength at the moment, so the new academy student will be assigned to them, excepting those with skills related to the 4th and 12th squads."

"Yamamoto Soutaichou," Kuchiki spoke in the polished clear tones that reflected his noble upbringing, "that would not be the wisest of ideals. Inundating those two squads with new and untrained recruits could have detrimental effects."

"As much as I hate agreeing with the princess here, I have to say he is right on this one. I'm full up at the moment, I suppose I can take some of the new recruits and transfer some of the trained men to the other two squads." Needless to say most of the officers were speechless at this offer. Hitsugaya, Sui-Feng, and Byakuya were suspicious. Squad 11 has given 2 other squads their fukutaichous, and now it was supplying trained men to others.

"Squad 4 has two lower seated officers who are adequate with healing kido, but their talents lie more with fighting. I can assign each to a different squad. Not only will they be getting a fighter, but someone that can handle triage in the field." Unohana interjected.

"We have addressed the 3 empty Taichou seats and the reassignments of the fukutaichous. If there is nothing else to discuss this meeting will be ended. Needless to say this will not be spoken of to anybody till the joint meeting." After thumping the floor one last time, Yamamoto turned and left the room. Some of the others left as well, but some were drawn into conversations speculating on the identity of the new Taichou before heading back to their barracks.

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Katsumi joined Zaraki as they headed back to the 11th squads grounds. "I guess that means Ikkaku passed." She piped up. "Does that mean you want me to look into that administrator for you?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Though it still hurts letting a weakling into the squad, but if Yachiru is happy with him...fine. So...did it all turn out the way you wanted it to? You practically arranged the whole thing."

"Pretty much. If things keep going like this...I don't know how much longer I will be staying here. I do have another job you know. This is actually one of the longest stays I've had here at the seireitei." Katsumi's voice held a light, teasing tone, but Kenpachi threw her a concerned look. He was starting to get use to this amazing woman, and he wasn't going to like it when she left.

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**Yeah! A short chapter. Next one will be filled with more fluff than content. Hopefully it will be over before to long.**


	13. Self Awareness

**I do not own Bleach or any of it's characters, nor am I affiliated with I-Pod's in any way.**

The very next day, Katsumi and Kenpachi fell into their usual rhythm. They spent the morning sparing, followed by a quick swim in the near by lake to cool off, which lead to Katsumi trying to teach him something she greatly enjoyed. The warm, earthy tones of music filled the air, it was something she called a Paso Doble.

"This sucks!" Kenpachi grumbled, and she had to stifle her giggles.

"This is the best dance for you. As the male, all you need to concentrate on is mostly footwork; the upper part of your body needs to remain straight most of the time. How can you be such a good fighter with that level of foot work and have such a hard time moving your feet to the music? You almost have it...let's try it again from the top." Both moved back into the starting position.

"Che! This is stupid! Why do I need to know this damn stuff?" Kenpachi began to through the steps of the dance, while he continued to complain. "How do you even make that music? I've never seen a contraption like that before."

"It's called an I-Pod, they seem to be everywhere in the North American Division. Their researchers were able to find a way for it to run on the surrounding reishi, which is great because there are no batteries or electrical plugs here in the Soul Society to connect it to a power source. And you need to learn this if you don't want anyone to laugh at you tonight when you preform it at the SWA dance." Katsumi waited for the explosion, which came shortly after her comment.

Kenpachi stopped dead. "Dance? Tonight? You mean I have to go to that stink-in thing tonight?"

"I'm surprised that Yachiru hasn't already demanded you put in an appearance, she is the president after all. The rest of your squad is going to be there because of her, but don't worry...I have it on good authority that you can buy." He looked slightly mollified at the ideal of drinking till he forgot about the whole situation, but he still felt uneasy about preforming like some freak-in fairy in front of everybody. "With just a little bit more practice...you are going to put all the other shinigami to shame. You know this dance will show all the women just how sensual and commanding you can really be."

A slightly embarrassed look flew across his face. "Why did they throw a dance of all things? They are always looking to find ways of making money, I would think a saki party would make more."

Now it was Katsumi's time to be embarrassed. "Well...that would be my fault, or rather Himitsu Soyokaze's fault. Her conversations are not all one way. She loves music, so she has been sharing it with the others she has been talking to. It is through their zans that shinigami have been _infected_, is the best word. Surely you have noticed the number of people who have been absent mindedly humming."

Kenpachi nodded at this.

He remembered walking into the office and hearing Ikkaku, who was cleaning his sword, Yumi and Yachiru, who were coloring, singing different parts of the same song. None of them seemed to realize that was what they were doing. "I don't think I've been doing that."

"You wouldn't, not really. Yachiru gave up that kind of communication with you in order to manifest herself to talk to you physically. But a very small part of you seems to be a bit more...lyrical...than normal."

He looked confused, "If I cant speak to my zan that way, then how can it affect me?"

"I've never told a living soul this, and I'll only tell you if you swear never to mention it to anybody..." he nodded gravely. "Himitsu Soyokaze doesn't only talk to zanpakutos."

"She talks to people too?"

"No, never people. Any object that has had large amounts of spiritual pressure forced through it gains a kind of self awareness. The more spiritual pressure...the greater the intelligence...I don't know if that is really the proper term to use. Most can only convey basic emotions: love, hate, hunger, contentment, or anger. Sort of like a pet, one doesn't truly know if they really think like we do, but they can convey basic emotions through signals." She reached up and flicked one of the bells on the tip of his hair. "Now these little buggers are power hungry and only feel content when you are fighting." Zaraki wasn't sure how he felt about her being able to read him so well. It felt odd being betrayed by such tiny objects. The magnitude of her zan's abilities grew and took on a frightening shape. She continued despite his inner turmoil, "There is probably a melody that vaguely returns to your mind now and then; noting concrete, they are not intelligent enough for something like that."

"You are influencing people's minds and thoughts like Aizen's zanpakuto." He was glad his voice was as steady as it was.

"Oh no, never like that. His zan blinded a persons ability to precieve what was truly happening. My zan is a bit more subtle. She can never confuse others like that, they simply want to do what she suggest all on their own. They trust her and believe that she wouldn't betray their wielders, but they are fully capable of making up their own minds. If what she says could hurt them, they can simply ignore it if they want. They could even do the exact opposite if they wanted to. Not her fault if she makes very good sense."

Kenpachi had to let out a bark of laughter. " A zanpakuto is a reflection of it's shinigami's mind, and you do have us all doing pretty much what you want us to do."

"I certainly hope I am making a lot of sense as well." She let out a wild laugh, "I am the despot behind the throne!" She noticed the uneasy look he threw her. "Don't worry...I am fine. In fact, there is no one as sane, both mentally and emotionally, than I am here in the seireitei. Not that I cant get mad or anything, just that I am the most level headed person here in the Soul Society." She chuckled at his doubtful look. "I am the Adjudicator. Every office except those promoted to the Royal Guard are appointed or regulated by the council, the noble families, or old man Yamamoto and you Taichous. The Soul King not only created those post, but he chooses himself who will be promoted or appointed to my position. He would never chose any one like Aizen or even you to fill either of those slots."

Zaraki gave a perturbed look at that, he was sure the Royal Guards must fight wonderfully violent battles. "Back to these self aware items, Shinigami 's objects have a type of power themselves? Like Yumi's feathers or Matsumoto's scarf?"

"Sort of...If the item is from this world, the amount of spiritual pressure has to be at least a Taichou's level to be of any affect. If the item is from the mortal world...that is slightly different. The other evening I was eating out in one of the districts, I became aware of an old woman who had such an item; she wasn't powerful in any way herself."

"Then how did it happen? I thought that item couldn't cross over into soul society from the real world." The ideal of a weakling being able to accomplish more than his 5th seat did not sit well with him.

"When she was a young girl, her fiance gifted her with a comb. She wore it constantly and frequently rubbed it throughout her long life. It became aware enough to cross with her when she died. It was her constant companion here as well. When she died here, her body and the echo of the comb disappeared. Not to long after she was reborn the comb returned to her as a family heirloom; and the circle was complete. They have been through several lifetimes and deaths together. Always finding each other after each rebirth: a gift, an heirloom, or an object she saw in a store and just had to have. After all this time it is close to achieving the same intelligence as an unnamed zan, just another lifetime should do it."

This concept was difficult to understand, but Kenpachi seemed to get a vague idea of what she was talking about. "So if the item started here, it needs at least a Taichous power to awaken it. But if it started in the real world, even a weak power over a long period could do it." He continued after her nod. "And if it can cross over to the soul society it will remain with its owner throughout all of his or her lifetimes and become even more powerful."

"Pretty much, it has been with her for hundreds of years and will probably spend hundreds of more. Now this is guess work on my part...but I wonder if that is where a zanpakuto comes from. Was it actually one of these items waiting for it's owner to become strong enough to be a shinigami. Just a guess...but it would be nice to know. Interestingly, these items are often referred to as being haunted by the spirits of the dead in the real world, while in fact, they waiting for the owners to pass through the Soul Society. The vibes they give off is not supernatural in any way, they come from the items themselves. So sorry, Yumi's feathers are just that...Now Nanao's book is a different matter all together, it started off in the real world and ...well, enough of that." She paused and looked down. "You see...when you are not thinking about it, you are a pretty good dancer!"

He turned slightly red. "We have to stop now anyway, I have just enough time to eat till that meeting with Ikkaku."

A slow smile curved her lips. "Remember I set up a meeting with you and the head Instructor at the Academy at 3o'clock." She watched him role his eyes. "And you will need to talk to your squad about him. No one should lay a finger on him, because he is going to be more important to you than the rest of them." He grunted as her watched her collect her music machine. Then they both headed back to the barracks for lunch.

Ikkaku approached the door to Zaraki Taichou's office, but he could not bring himself to open it. He took a deep breath and tried to make himself try to slide it open again. He took a startle step back when it seemed to open all on it's own. That was when he became aware of the smiling woman standing before him. He wanted to yell at her for causing that reaction when he heard Zaraki's command to enter.

"So, can you guess what this is all about?" Ikkaku looked up at this question from his leader.

"The Taichou's exam?" He hesitantly questioned. "Are you going to be sending me away?" Ikkaku was unsure if he wanted to know the answer to his question.

"You sound like a promotion is a punishment. Squad 3 is not THAT far away, but you are making it to sound like you are being shipped off to the mortal realm, or some place just as far away." Zaraki was a

bit put out over how his subordinate was acting. He had thought Ikkaku had a bit more backbone than that, of course he was one of the few who had even a basic ideal of what family meant to the two boneheads. He had never asked them about their lives prior to joining up with him, but coming from the worst district in Soul Society..he could guess about some of it.

Katsumi laughed, while Yachiru giggled. "What a strange way to congratulate someone for a promotion they deserve."

"Yeah! Baldy! You did a great job. We need to throw a party with lots of food and bunches of candy." Yachiru cheered.

"Leave it to the fukutaichou to see what is really important about this whole mess." Ikkaku felt a mixture of several emotions: fear of the unknown, loneliness of being separated from his family, love of his Taichou, the thrill of what could happen, and pride in his accomplishment.

Zaraki broke into his self introspection, "Do I need to ask just who you would like to be your fukutaichou?"

"Yumichika, of course." He replied without any doubt, but then he hesitated. "Would that be alright with you? He is the one who does most of the work around here; and now that you are allowing the use of kido he might be needed to help train the others."

"Once squad 11...always squad 11, even when you leave it." Kenpachi threw a discouraging look at Katsumi's comment.

"I'm going to be getting in a new recruit for the administrative work, and once squad 5 gets a Taichou..a kido master as well. Kenpachi watched the amazed look blossom on Ikkaku's face.

"You were expecting me to pass? You had faith that I could do it?" He started to feel more certain of the future.

"I did have a hand in training you, didn't I?" He turned to his zan, "Yachiru...run and fetch Yumi, but don't tell him why." He turned back as the little girl almost flew out of the room. "You cant tell anyone yet, at least not till the joint meeting tomorrow where it will be officially announced."

Katsumi cleared her throat, "It will be necessary for you to talk to the men tonight." She knew that Kenpachi wouldn't know how to tell them about the new member. "Just tell them you are both transferring to the 3rd to help get them straighten out, which is the truth. A number of squad members are going to be transferred to help strengthen the 3rd and 5th squads, so volunteers would be helpful. Just remembering that they are coming into your squad...so if you don't like someone..." She left the rest of that statement unsaid. You will have to explain the the 5th seat to them as well." A curious look crossed the bald man's face. "Your squad seats aren't like the rest of the others, so this shouldn't be too difficult a concept for you all to face. The young man doesn't know how to fight." The confused look turned into a dumbfounded one. "He is going to have two jobs. The first is all the paperwork, and you know how important that can be." The look still had not left Ikkaku's face. "So if they want supplies or money from the squad's budget...they will have to go to him. No one had better pick on him, or let anyone from the other squads pick on him either."

"More importantly," Kenpachi interjected, "he has one other job which makes him more important than just about anyone else. With both you and Yumi in another squad, Yachiru needs a new baby sitter to keep her out of trouble. If he does a good job, I am going to take his word over anybody else."

Ikkaku's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of that, but it was a valid concern. After all these years following the little midget around, getting his head gnawed on, he felt a touch of concern for the unknown weakling. But if he can watch after her by himself, as of now it took two people, he would be impressed. At this point Yachiru came bouncing in through the door, dragging a patient Yumichika behind her.

"You wanted to see me Taichou?" After seeing just who was in the room, Yumi felt very cautious.

"Ikkaku has something he needs to ask you." The huge man leaned back to watch the two interact.

"Well..um..you see Yumi..the day before last I sort of took the...Taichou's exam"

A smile of delight appeared on Yumi's face. "And of course you passed! I knew that if you just tried you would make it! I'm happy for you..I just know you will make a beautiful Taichou."

"What I wanted to ask was ...would you be willing to transfer to squad 3 as my fukutaichou? I need someone a lot smarter than me to help get them straightened out."

The grin broadened and the beautiful man positively sparkled. "If it is alright with the Taichou, then of course! There is really no where else I would rather be than at your side in a fight."

"It's alright with me. You guys work great as a team, you always have." An almost gloating smirk crossed his face. "Squad 11 has produced 2 Taichous and 4 fukutaichous. Not to mention the trained men that will be transferring to get the other squads up to strength." He stood and stretched, "Yachiru and I have to go see the head of the academy about the new 5th seat. Ikkaku...you can explain it all to Yumi." They left, which made the room seem much larger by their absence.

"Congratulations you two! Tomorrow after the meeting and announcements we will have to get together and celebrate. Just remember that this squad can now use kido, so don't transfer out all of the kido users. I'll leave it to the both of you to tell the others." The two friends turned to each other as they were left in the office alone.

**I had intended to continue this now, but this was so long I decided to break it up into two chapters. Please R&R.**


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